Home secretary James Cleverly has asserted that mandatory National Service would help sort out the “fragmentation in society”.

The Conservatives have pledged that, if they win the general election, 18-year-olds will have to take part in a scheme involving military or non-military service.

Speaking on BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme Cleverly said the move was about “coming together”.

“Too many young people are living in their own bubble, whether that’s a digital bubble or a social bubble.

“We want to get back to a situation where young people are mixing with people – in different areas, different economic groups, different religions – to try and find a way of addressing the kind of fragmentation that we see too much of,” he said.

The UK home secretary did however confirm that young people would face no criminal sanctions if they refused to join the military or do volunteer work under the Tories’ plan.

“There’s going to be no criminal sanction. There’s no one going to jail over this”.

Labour panned the scheme was “a desperate gimmick” with no viable funding.