Lord Dannatt, the former heading of the British Army, criticsed Labour’s plan to offer a Gap Year military training scheme to young people in the UK from this year. The first wave of the scheme, which launches in March, is only expected to offer up 150 places but the government insists the ambition is to expand it to 1,000 armed forces roles a year.

Lord Dannatt said: “Vladimir Putin is serious in the threat he poses to our security but Keir Starmer thinks that offering a student experience is a sufficient response.

“Had it not been for Winston Churchill in 1940 we would have fallen under the Nazi jackboot. Today – is Starmer a Churchill or a Chamberlain?

“We cannot afford the wrong answer or our children will never forgive us for doing nothing.”

However, he is not convinced conscription is the answer.

He said: “Even though we face an existential threat, I would prefer the market to sort out our manning problems – increase pay for the armed forces – Regular and Reserve – to draw in more recruits and invest properly in the equipment that all three Armed Services need. Conscription should be kept in reserve.”

Such a sentiment is shared across the political spectrum.

Mike Martin MP, Lib Dem Defence Select Committee Member told the Express: “Conscription will only be necessary if we get into a war with Russia. We are not there yet.

“If we invest in rebuilding our professional armed forces now, specifically personnel numbers, along with our European allies then we reduce that risk”.

“The Prime Minister agrees the world has changed, yet his Government is failing to spend what is necessary on our armed forces in order for us keep Britain safe. There is nothing more important than keeping Britain safe”.

Dame Penny Mordaunt, a former Conservative Defence Secretary, added: “On our current trajectory Britain will soon be embroiled in terrible conflict, more challenging than anything our nation has yet faced.

“In order to prevent it we must rearm now and we must equip our citizens with the knowledge and skills they need to cope with the type of scenarios they may face. Community resilience and the modernisation of our armed forces should be government’s top priority.”

Other experts agree with that assessment.

Andrew Fox of the Henry Jackson Society said: “Labour has spoken loudly whilst carrying a small stick. The promised increases in defence spending have not yet been delivered, and when they arrive, they will not be enough.

“Conscription is not the answer – the regular armed forces require fixing first. Who and where will train, equip, arm and house these conscripts?

“The UK armed forces are not fit for their current role, never mind losing thousands of personnel to training and administering unwilling conscripts. The answer is for Labour to fund our armed forces properly, before it is too late.”

An MOD spokeswoman told the Express: “This Government has no plans to introduce conscription in the UK and believes the best way of defending our country is by maintaining professional armed forces who choose to serve.

“We are reversing the long-term decline in the size of the Army, will increase defence spending to 2.5% by 2027 and are providing better training, smarter use of existing capabilities and harnessing technological advancements so our armed forces operate precisely, at scale and at speed.”