This House of Lords Library briefing provides a brief overview of the history of conscription in Britain in the First World War to mark the centenary of the enactment of the Military Service Act 1916. It also identifies those countries in the European Union that currently enforce conscription or compulsory military service.
The Military Service Act 1916: 100 Years (96 KB , PDF)
Conscription was introduced in Britain during the First World War in January 1916. The Military Service Act 1916 imposed conscription on all single men aged between 18 and 41 who were not eligible for exemption. The Act was modified by subsequent legislation throughout the First World War, and conscription continued until 1920. However, compulsory military service was reintroduced in May 1939, prior to the Second World War, and was imposed on all single men aged between 20 and 21. The male age limit for military service was raised throughout the Second World War, and in 1941 Parliament passed legislation which made provision for the conscription of women.
The Military Service Act 1916: 100 Years (96 KB , PDF)
The Financial Assistance to Ukraine Bill is a two-clause government bill that would authorise the government to provide loans and other financial assistance to Ukraine resulting from the extraordinary revenue acceleration (ERA) loans agreement made at the meeting of the G7 and the EU in June 2024. It has been designated as a money bill and it completed its House of Commons stages on 18 December 2024 with broad cross-party support.
The House of Lords committee on international relations and defence has called on the government to remain alert to emerging changes in the Arctic and to regularly assess whether its strategy towards the region is “appropriately calibrated”. In a report published in 2023, the committee suggested the Arctic was experiencing significant change and was no longer a region of low-tension. It argued the situation was critical to UK interests.
The House of Lords European Affairs Committee welcomed the EU and UK response to the war in Ukraine “in general terms”. In its January 2024 report, the committee said some areas of UK-EU cooperation had been broadly effective. The committee said the report’s aim was to consider a longer-term approach and make recommendations to strengthen the UK-EU response. It called for more formal arrangements in several security and foreign policy areas.
