𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

A concerned mother has shared her conscription fears and asked panelists on BBC Question Time “what are we doing for future generations?”

BBC Question Time discussed the US midterm election from Liverpool tonight. On the panel are Labour’s deputy leader Lucy Powell; Conservative shadow health minister Luke Evans; general secretary of the TUC Paul Nowak; Telegraph columnist Tim Stanley and former US basketball star John Amaechi.

After discussing the war in Iran all eyes turned to the audience for questions. An audience member expressed her concern for her young boy growing up in a world where global tensions are so high. She said: “Being a mum of a seven year old, global tensions really worry me, what are we doing in terms of conscription for when he is 18. He hasn’t been part of any of this and he hasn’t done any of it and it just concerns me that when he’s 18 he’s going to be in a position, so what are we doing for future generations?”

She added: “His school already has a policy where they do armed forces in secondary school and that concerns me because of the way the world’s looking at the moment.”

Labour’s deputy leader Lucy Powell responded: “Obviously as a parent myself I am fairly confident we won’t have conscription.” She soon corrected herself to say: “I mean I hope we will never get to a point where we’ve got conscription necessary in this country too. To the bigger point I think there’s a policy and a political thing that we can hopefully see coming out of these elections in America.”

“Firstly, on a policy point of view, the war in Iran. A war that I’m really proud that this Labour government said that we wouldn’t get involved with… and that’s because of the devastating impact it’s having on the cost of living around the world.”

“Hopefully this gives us a moment as international as countries coming together to put an end to the war in Iran and put an end to the cost of living which is really bearing down on everybody else.”

BBC Question Time returns next week in Exeter.