Keir Starmer Slashes Foreign Aid to Fund Biggest Defence Spending Boos
Sir Keir Starmer has confirmed plans to cut foreign aid in order to boost defence spending, responding to growing security concerns and international pressure. The Prime Minister announced that the UK’s defence budget will increase from 2.3% to 2.5% of gross domestic product (GDP) by 2027. To fund this rise, overseas aid will be reduced from 0.5% to 0.3% of gross national income.
Sir Keir justified the move as a necessary response to threats posed by “tyrant” Vladimir Putin and growing demands from U.S. President Donald Trump for European nations to contribute more towards security. Speaking in the House of Commons on Tuesday, Starmer declared: “We must find courage in our history, courage in who we are as a nation because courage is what our own era now demands of us.
“So starting today, I can announce this Government will begin the biggest sustained increase in defence spending since the end of the Cold War. “We will deliver our commitment to spend 2.5% of GDP on defence, but we will bring it forward so that we reach that level in 2027, and we will maintain that for the rest of this Parliament.”
The increase will result in an additional £13.4 billion allocated to defence annually from 2027, which Starmer acknowledged would require “extremely difficult and painful choices.” He also expressed a long-term ambition to raise defence spending to 3% of GDP in the next Parliament, told The Guardian.
The announcement comes ahead of Starmer’s scheduled visit to Washington, where he is set to meet with President Trump on Thursday. Earlier today, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch urged the Prime Minister to redirect foreign aid and welfare funding to bolster defence spending.
In a major speech in central London, she said: “I will back the Prime Minister in taking those difficult decisions to increase defence spending.”For example, he should consider whether some of the 0.5% currently spent on development aid should be repurposed, at least in the short term, towards defence and security.
“And he should also look at making welfare savings to fund increased defence expenditure.” The debate over military funding and aid allocation is expected to continue as the government moves forward with its plans to prioritize national security.
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