Recently a video is being shared of the United Kingdom Prime Minister being confronted by a student about his reported mandatory national service he plans to bring back if the Conservative party is re-elected.
PM Rishi Sunak from Britain’s Conservative Party on May 26th, 2024 said that if his party wins the national election on 4th July, they would introduce mandatory national service for 18-year-olds.
In a statement, Sunak said, “Britain today faces a future that is more dangerous and more divided. There’s no doubt that our democratic values are under threat. That is why we will introduce a bold new model of national service for 18-year-olds.”
According to reports, young adults in the UK will have to choose between spending one weekend a month for a year doing community volunteering or taking a full-time placement for a year/12 months in the armed forces.
Sunak speaking with reporters at a campaign event also stated, “This modern form of national service will mean that young people get the skills and the opportunities that they need, which is going to serve them very well in life. It is going to foster a culture of service which is going to be incredibly powerful for making our society more cohesive, and in a more uncertain and dangerous world it’s going to strengthen our country’s security and resilience.”
What Happened With Rishi Sunak?
Henry Hassell, a 16-year-old boy from west Devon shared the video on Wednesday when he saw the PM on a campaign trail at a local pub. He questioned the UK PM about the mandatory national service that might be brought back.
The singer-songwriter posted the video on his TikTok. Eventually, it went viral on other social media platforms.
In the video, Rishi Sunak initially thought the teen wanted a photo but Hassell started off by asking, “I was just going to ask: ‘Why do you hate young people so much?’ You’re making us go into the army…”
To this Sunak replied with “No, you’ll have a choice, you’ll have a choice.”
When Hassell tried to continue saying, “Yes, but I’ve volunteered all my life and I’ve done so much” Sunak said, “Then you’ll love it, you’ll love it.”
Hassell again tried to make his point saying, “But why do I have to do it all again when I’m finally coming out of education? And I’m stuck in it again” Sunak tried to explain it as, “Oh because I think a culture… I wouldn’t view it like that. A culture of service is a good thing for our country, and you’ll have a choice.”
With this Sunak departed from the establishment quickly and Henry can be heard saying, “You’re waffling.”
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A lot of people commented on this interaction and called out Sunak for not understanding the issues of the youth of the UK. User @@f1junkyardDog wrote, “National service and apprenticeships? Why do the Tories hate young people?”
Another user @SandraGuest1 wrote, “Sunak is a total coward! Couldn’t even face a teenager asking him why does he hate young people” and user @belmorecllr commented, “Why does Sunak hurriedly walk past the young man instead of staying and having a proper conversation? He’s got no respect for young voters.”
In another tweet user @DeanGrice5 replied saying, “Funny how he always runs off when he’s confronted. I remember that woman who asked him about the NHS. He just laughed turned his back and walked away. The Arrogance. Then he wants people’s votes.”
User @Bede2Adam agreeing with the sentiment wrote, “‘Then you’ll love it’ says Sunak, whose Wiki entry doesn’t indicate he was in the Officers Training Corp at Winchester or Oxford & the only volunteering he appears to have done was an internship at Conservative Campaign Headquarter – I suppose this qualifies as helping the needy.”
A lot of people in this tweet also agreed that this was not a good moment for Sunak with one writing, “What an awful answer from him. He didn’t even listen to what was said and just hit the lines to take” and another wrote, “To any challenger who manages to get past his minders and actually asks a pertinent question, he laughs nervously, vomits out one of his meaningless sound-bites and tries to escape as quickly as possible.”
Among most people, the common sentiment was that Sunak tried to evade the question, leaving quickly and not giving the young person’s concerns and questions the proper attention.
Image Credits: Google Images
Feature image designed by Saudamini Seth
Sources: The Guardian, Evening Standard, CNN
Find the blogger: @chirali_08
This post is tagged under: Rishi Sunak, Rishi Sunak party, Rishi Sunak london, Rishi Sunak youth, Rishi Sunak youngsters, Rishi Sunak news, Rishi Sunak children, uk pm, uk, united kingdon, tories, young people, uk politics, uk elections, conservative party, conservative party uk, Rishi Sunak news, england, uk prime minister, labour party
Disclaimer: We do not hold any right, or copyright over any of the images used, these have been taken from Google. In case of credits or removal, the owner may kindly mail us.
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