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General election 2024 live: Cleverly quizzed on Conservative Party's national service plan - BBC News General election 2024 live: Cleverly quizzed on Conservative Party's national service plan - BBC News
(32 minutes later)
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has made his debut on the social media platform TikTok to address criticisms Let's take you over to West Yorkshire, where we've just heard from Rachel Reeves.
of his plans to re-introduce national service for all 18-year-olds. The shadow chancellor largely repeated comments she made on Laura Kuenssberg earlier - including ruling out increases in income tax and national insurance, no return to austerity, and a commitment to increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP "as quickly as possible".
“Sorry to be breaking into your usual politics-free feed, but She also repeated her comments that the Conservatives' national service plan was "an expensive gimmick".
I’m making a big announcement today, and I’ve been told that a lot of you already have some views on it," the prime minister says. Reeves told campaigners that she is “under no illusion about [the] scale of the challenge” she faces if she becomes chancellor.
In true TikTok fashion, the 50-second video is peppered with emojis and "swish" sound effects accompanying Sunak's quickfire delivery. “With me all of our plans will be fully-funded and fully-costed, I will never play fast and loose with the public’s finances,” she says.
“So first thing: no, I’m not sending everyone off to join As a reminder, while on Kuenssberg earlier, the shadow chancellor was pressed specifically about how the party planned to fund its policies, and while she said she did not want to make any cuts to public funding, she did not rule out some spending cuts.
the Army. What I am doing is proposing a bold new model of national service for
18-year-olds," he says.
He then repeats that young people will also be given the
option of doing 25 days with non-military organisations and volunteering with
local communities. These tasks could include delivering prescriptions and food to
elderly people or helping with search and rescue.
“This will give all young people valuable life skills,” he says.
The video was posted this morning, shortly after opposition party leaders began sharing their reactions to the plan that some have since called a "desperate gimmick" and "removed from reality".
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