Thousands of teenagers should spend a year doing national service, senior Labour figures have urged Sir Keir Starmer.
A report by the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) think tank said a new optional military scheme would give youngsters “a sense of active citizenship and belonging”.
Rishi Sunak pledged during the election to revive national service for all 18-year-olds through Army enrolment or community volunteering in a plan opposed by Labour.
The commissioners behind the CSJ report, titled A United Nation, include Sir Stephen Timms, the disability minister, and Andy Burnham, the Labour mayor of Greater Manchester.
In the paper, Sir Keir is urged to introduce a new “army short service limited commission” that would be based on an existing programme for Norwegian teenagers.
Under the scheme, 15 to 20 per cent of all 18-year-olds – or 110,000 to 145,000 people – would take part in 12 months’ military service, in return for apprentice-level pay.
“Many young people from Britain’s most disadvantaged communities are cut adrift from meaningful work, employment opportunities and/or may have failed in education,” the report said.
“A new national service scheme, modelled on the Norwegian competitive model, would provide an opportunity to gain skills, travel the country and grow a sense of active citizenship and belonging.
“They would experience being paid and be supported to obtain employment after their year of service is complete. The Norwegian scheme is highly successful, and many young people want to take part.”
The cross-party study also called on Sir Keir to tackle the worklessness crisis by emulating the Dutch government and giving £6 billion of Whitehall cash to local authorities.
An accompanying new CSJ report, called Going Dutch, found the Netherlands is currently faring three times better than Britain at getting economically inactive people back to work.
The £6 billion sum would go towards local employment support and council adult education services, with job coaches and grassroots charities taking the lead in helping physically or mentally ill people return to employment.
Analysis by the CSJ forecast that if the Prime Minister failed to take action on the spiralling welfare bill, sickness benefits would soar by more than £10 billion in the next five years.
The projected cost for disability and sickness benefits across 2024-25 is already £74 billion, according to the Office for Budget Responsibility.
As well as Mr Burnham and Sir Stephen, other commissioners behind the report include Sir Iain Duncan Smith, a former Conservative leader and the co-founder of the CSJ.
The commission is chaired by Martin Ivens, the former Sunday Times editor. Also involved are Miriam Cates, a Tory MP until July, and Lord King, a former Bank of England governor.
Addressing the wave of far-Right unrest and subsequent sectarian clashes that swept Britain at the start of last month, Sir Iain said: “This summer’s riots have sadly proved the CSJ’s belief that we live in one country but two nations.
“Violence is never justified as a response, but what we have seen is a wake-up call to Westminster to listen to those who feel left behind and ignored.”
Mr Burnham, who has pioneered plans in Manchester to boost technical education, warned the riots last month represented “our worst fears of the consequences of a divided nation”.
“There is a pathway to a better future for our nation and people,” he said. “Thousands of people classed as not fit for work want to get a job and get on with their lives.
“The key to economic growth is to help them make that journey… Local solutions are far better and much cheaper than those invented in Whitehall.”
The Ministry of Defence was contacted for comment.
