Brits could avoid jail for three reasons but would still face ‘severe’ punishment, an expert has warned.
David Swift previously revealed to the Express that punishments could take place (Image: Getty)
As tensions between Russia and Europe continue to grow, concerns are mounting over the potential return of conscription in the UK. While compulsory military service has only been implemented twice in modern British history, the first being from 1916 to 1920 and the second time from 1939 to 1960, experts have warned that a new global conflict could force the Government to reconsider.
Speaking to Tucker Carlson, Sergey Karaganov, head of Russia’s Council for Foreign and Defense Policy warned that if Russia suffers defeat, nuclear weapons would be deployed, stating that Europe “would be finished physically.” He also said that Russia will “have to punish Europe severely” if the European nations continues to support Ukraine.
Russia has threatened to ‘finish’ Europe and the UK using nuclear weapons (Image: Getty)
He said: “What is defeat of Russia? If Russia comes ever close to a defeat, that would mean that Russia now would use nuclear weapons and Europe would be finished physically.
“So I mean, it’s simply impossible even to think about it, but they have been talking because they need a war to rationalise their stay in power, to rationalise their existence.
“Everybody in the world now laughs at Europe, which used to be, by the way, one of the core centers of world power. Now it’s a joke. And of course, I am not speaking of all Europe. We know that there are decent Europeans. There are smart Europeans.”
Historian and author David Swift previously shared his thoughts with Express reporter, Christopher Sharp, on what might happen to Britons who refuse a call-up, suggesting that jail time may not be the default punishment.
He told the Express: “I imagine it would be fines rather than imprisonment or anything like that, due to: 1. Lack of prison capacity. 2. Difficulty enforcing and lack of legitimacy and 3. That ‘conscription’, if introduced, would be very much focused around monetary reward.”
Swift pointed to examples from other countries as potential models. In Greece, individuals who declined military service faced fines of around €6,000 (£5,213), though this has been under discussion for possible removal in recent years.
Switzerland, meanwhile, imposes an additional 3% tax for those who refuse military service for the duration of their mandatory training, Mr Swift said.
He said: “In Switzerland, you have to pay an additional three percent in taxes if you refuse military service for the duration of the time you were meant to be in military training.
“This way, the fines are severe enough so that they present a genuine disincentive not to serve (if it was only a few hundred quid you would have lots of people opting out), but not as severe as imprisonment.”
