PM forced to rule out Army draft as Russian threat rises

Military chief ’s warning that we need citizens to win wars is rebuffed by No10

DOWNING STREET has been forced to rule out conscription after the head of the Army warned that British civilians would need to fight Russia in a future war.

Gen Sir Patrick Sanders said the UK needed a military that could not only expand rapidly but also “train and equip” a citizen army, in a speech first reported by this newspaper.

In his address to the International Armoured Vehicles conference in Twickenham yesterday, Gen Sir Patrick stressed that the Army, which is predicted to have just 72,500 fully trained soldiers by 2025, would not be big enough to fight an all-out war with Russia even if it numbered 120,000.

Defence sources previously told The Telegraph that Gen Sir Patrick wants there to be a shift in the mindset of British men and women, in which they think like troops and are mentally prepared for a possible war with Russia.

Yesterday, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said it did not agree with Gen Sir Patrick’s views. Asked about the possibility of conscription, they said: “The British military has a proud position of being a voluntary force. As I say, there’s no plan for conscription.”

The spokesman said it was unhelpful to debate whether Britain was strong enough to fight Russia in the event of a war. “I think these kinds of hypothetical scenarios, talking about a conflict, are not helpful and I don’t think it’s right to engage with them,” they said, adding that the Government had invested “significant sums into our Armed Forces”. However, a senior Whitehall source said “a wider conversation” needed to be had within the Government about operating in a more dangerous world.

It is understood that No 10 did not want Gen Sir Patrick’s comments to be made public.

In his speech, Gen Sir Patrick stressed the importance of civilians in wartime, as demonstrated on the battlefields of Ukraine. “Ukraine brutally illustrates that regular armies start wars, citizen armies win them,” he said.

“We need an army designed to expand rapidly to enable the first echelon, resource the second echelon, and train and equip the citizen army that must follow. Within the next three years, it must be credible to talk of a British Army of 120,000, folding in our reserve and strategic reserve. But that’s not enough.”

In a recent speech, Grant Shapps, the Defence Secretary, warned that the UK was “moving from a post-war to a prewar world” with conflict expected internationally within five years. Mr Shapps also said he would like Britain to spend 3 per cent of GDP on defence, up from the 2 per cent it is at currently.

Yesterday, he said he was “working hard” to ensure the Armed Forces were not depleted amid its recruitment crisis.

In his speech, Gen Sir Patrick said: “Our friends in eastern and northern Europe, who feel the proximity of the Russian threat more acutely, are acting prudently laying the foundations for

national mobilisation.” He added: “Taking preparatory steps to enable us to place our societies on a war footing when needed are now not really desirable, but essential.”

Estonia’s top military commander said yesterday that Nato had underestimated Russia’s capacity to produce ammunition and recruit troops. Martin Herem, the commander of the Estonian Defence Forces, said fresh intelligence had prompted a re-evaluation among Nato allies and a spate of warnings to prepare for a long-term conflict in Ukraine. He said Vladimir Putin’s military had capacity to produce several million artillery shells a year, far outstripping European efforts, and recruit hundreds of thousands of new troops.

Gen Sir Patrick’s comments were widely welcomed in defence circles.

Gen Lord Dannatt, the former head of the Army, said the new chief was right to raise a scenario in which “if push comes to shove, as a population, we will all have to get involved and harness the manpower of the nation”. He added: “If international circumstances deteriorate where this country finds itself at war, fighting with an army of 75,000 soldiers will not be sustainable.

“Regular armies fight the opening rounds and the citizen army comes in later and puts on uniform, we saw it in the First and Second World Wars.”

A Whitehall source last night told The Times that the training of Ukrainian civilians on British soil could go on to become a “mission rehearsal” to train people across the UK to follow suit.

James Heappey, the Armed Forces minister, indicated that a combined force of 500,000 troops and members of the public could be established.

Grant Shapps, the Defence Secretary, could take the step of recalling former service personnel, by law, including ex-officers and different ranks if they have left the forces in the past 18 years and are aged under 55. It could see Mr Heappey return to the front line along with Johnny Mercer, the Veterans Minister, and Prince Harry under the move.