Ex-Royal Marine Labour MP urges Burnham to bring back national service on Finland's model to counter Russian threats

Alex Ballinger, who chairs the cross-party parliamentary group on the Armed Forces, made the appeal at a Thursday reception at the Finnish ambassador's residence. 'I would love to have National Service in the UK,' he told guests. His own party firmly rejected Rishi Sunak's plan to bring it back for 18-year-olds during the 2024 election. He argued that Britain should take lessons from countries that share a border with Russia.

Finland requires males aged 18 to 60 to do military or civilian service for up to 347 days.

The Finnish system has built a reserve of nearly 870,000, among the biggest in Nato.

Ballinger said Britain must learn how Finland can 'get the whole of society behind it'.