Britain has been told to bring back National Service as war fears have surged in recent weeks.
Lord William Hague warned of a “blunt truth” and suggested that the UK should emulate Norway’s National Service scheme in a bid to prepare for war.
The former Foreign Secretary and leader of the opposition party from 1997 to 2001, claimed the next couple of decades would likely see a “world crisis”.
Lord Hague claimed citizenship comes with obligations to one’s country.
“The blunt truth is that the chances of getting through the next couple of decades without a dangerous world crisis are small,” he told The Times.
A National Service Act was passed after World War Two which required men aged 17 to 21 to serve in the armed forces for 18 months and to remain on the reserve list for several years.
The last servicemen enlisted through National Service were demobilised in 1963.
Defence Secretary Grant Shapps warned the world was “moving from a post-war to pre-war world” and said the Government has already announced “the largest sustained increase in defence spending since the Cold War”.
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“We find ourselves at the dawn of this new era – the Berlin Wall a distant memory – and we’ve come full circle, moving from a post-war to pre-war world,” he said.
“An age of idealism has been replaced by a period of hard-headed realism.
“Today our adversaries are busy rebuilding their barriers, old enemies are reanimated, new foes are taking shape, battle lines are being redrawn.
“The tanks are literally on Europe’s Ukrainian lawn and the foundations of the world order are being shaken to their core.”
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