‘Sign me up, sir’ was the call from Boris Johnson on Friday, after he responded to the talk of conscription among the British public this week. Leading figures in the UK’s armed forces have floated the idea of recruiting a ‘citizen army’.
Will UK citizens be conscripted to the army?
The recruitment plea comes at a time where global conflicts are escalating, and Britain is finding itself in the middle of many disputes. The instability in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and the Red Sea is causing geopolitical rumbles.
Senior army sources – including General Patrick Sanders – say their ranks are depleted, and should tensions escalate with an enemy state such as Russia, they’d need to look beyond their current reserves to put boots on the ground en-masse.
‘Lance Corporal’ Boris Johnson volunteers for duty
Of course, the concept of conscription has been met by disdain from a large majority of Brits. But, never one to miss an opportunity, Boris Johson wrote in his Daily Mail column this week that he ‘jolly well would’ serve for King and Country.
“Yes, Sah! Lance Corporal Johnson reporting for duty, Sah!” he said, adding: “I want General Sanders to know that I have heeded his call for a new citizen army. I asked myself. Could I do it? Do I still have the stuff of battle in me?”
“No sooner had I posed myself the question – would I sign up to fight for King and country? – than I had the answer. Of course I jolly well would. If it really came to it, I would be there in the dugout with General Sanders.” | Boris Johnson
Boris Johnson taunted by ‘fridge-gate’ after vow to join army
Sadly for Mr. Johnson, his claims were immediately met with ridicule. Social media users have not been kind to the former PM, with many choosing to remind him of the time he hid in a fridge to avoid questions from reporters.
During a visit to a milk wholesaler in Yorkshire, BoJo was collared by production staff from Good Morning Britain. With a snarling Piers Morgan waiting to grill the ex Tory leader, Johnson took himself into an industrial fridge, shutting the door behind him.
He would go on to win the 2019 General Election just one week later. However, the incident has not been forgotten by his critics – with many using it to question his battle-readiness should he get the call-up…