People would not be jailed for refusing to carry out

James Cleverly says there will be ‘no criminal sanction’ as Labour criticises policy as ‘desperate and unfunded’

Shadow work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall said the Conservatives’ national service announcement was a “gimmick”.

She told Sky News’s Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips show: “This is an unfunded commitment, a headline-grabbing gimmick, it is not a proper plan to deliver it, it doesn’t deal with the big challenges facing young people who are desperate to get the skills and qualifications they need to get good jobs, to have a home they can call their own.”