OUR BARMY ARMY PLAN

Top Tory's anger with National Service fiasco | Minister doesn't rule out absent teens' fines

- DAVE BURKE

ONE in five members of our armed forces would be an 18-year-old rookie under Rishi Sunak's National Service plan.

The Prime Minister's bid to force teenagers into the military or voluntary work would swell the military's ranks by 30,000, to around 168,000.

But it would mean almost 20% of the overall number would be on National Service, raising questions about its effectiveness.

The plan descended further into chaos yesterday as Northern Ireland Minister Steve Baker distanced himself from the plan, saying it had been "sprung" on candidates.

Foreign Office minister AnneMarie Trevelyan did not rule out the idea that parents could be fined if their adult children fail to attend.

And leaked WhatsApp messages reveal the PM faces a backlash among Tory members - with activists saying he "must be stopped".

The shambolic policy launch threatens to further undermine a PM desperately trying to hold his party's General Election campaign together, just days after it was launched.