Prime Minister faces outrage after decision to use overseas development budget for defence
Charities from across the UK have shared their anger at the Labour government’s decision to cut international aid funding to increase defence spending.
On Tuesday Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer confirmed the move, which will see spending on overseas development aid reduce from 0.5% of GDP to 0.3%.
The Labour leader claimed he was not “happy” to make the decision, but that it was necessary to protect the British people.
The UK will now see defence spending increase to 2.5% of GDP, with an aim of hitting 3% by 2029.
This level of defence spending is now the highest since the end of the Cold War.
The move comes just two days before Mr Starmer is due to meet American President Donald Trump, whose own government’s cuts to international aid has had catastrophic consequences across the world.
Mr Starmer said on Tuesday: “I’ve taken a difficult choice today because I believe in overseas development, and I know the impact of the decision that I’ve had to take today, and I do not take it lightly.
“It is not a decision that I, as a British Labour prime minister, would have wanted to take, but a decision that I must make in order to secure the security and defence of our country.”
Those working in international development in the UK have expressed their shock and dismay at the surprise decision.
Nick Dearden, director of Global Justice Now, branded the move as an attempt at appeasement towards the US President, calling Tuesday a “day of shame”.
He said: “Starmer’s announcement today is politics at its most base. To appease Trump, he will cut aid to its lowest level in a generation, forcing the poorest to pay so he can push taxpayer money into the coffers of arms corporations.
“There are numerous policies the government could take to avoid this – from a wealth tax on the super-rich to scrapping white elephants like Trident.
“Instead, Starmer has taken it from the mouths of the hungriest people in the world. It is a day of shame for Britain.”
Others said the international aid cuts represented a “betrayal of the world’s most vulnerable children and the UK’s national interest”.
CEO of Save the Children UK, Moazzam Malik, said: “We are stunned by this decision to cut the aid budget in order to increase military spending. It is a betrayal of the world’s most vulnerable children and the UK’s national interest.
“By jeopardising the UK’s partnership with countries across the world and international organisations, it signals a withdrawal from efforts to tackle climate change, global poverty and inequality, and conflict and humanitarian needs. It will damage efforts to tackle global health needs and pandemics. It will add to economic instability internationally. The impacts will have direct consequences for children and families in the UK as well as around the world.
“This decision comes at a time when global solidarity has never been more important. Other countries will watch the UK’s decision and are likely to follow suit in reducing commitments to international collaboration. It will undermine aspirations to build a ‘rules based order’ that is so essential for the UK’s long-term security and prosperity. It will make the world a more dangerous place for children now and in the future.
“This decision flies in the face of the government’s commitment to respectful partnerships with the global south. There is nothing respectful about slashing lifelines for families in the most dangerous places. Earlier this week, the Prime Minister promised to ‘stand with Ukraine’. Now he’s serving notice on the support needed by the country’s children, who have been forced from their homes, seen their schools bombed and lived in fear for three years.
“Through UK aid, we all help protect children facing the worst the world has to offer. We have every reason to be proud of it and the government should fearlessly protect it.”
ActionAid is an international charity that works with women and girls living in poverty.
They said the decision will have “devastating consequences”, exacerbating human suffering in conflict zones such as Gaza, Ukraine and the Democratic Republic of Congo - putting women and girls at risk.
Hannah Bond, co-CEO of ActionAid UK, said: “We are profoundly shocked and disappointed that the government has made the reckless decision to raid the already diminished ODA budget—reducing it to less than half of our legal obligation. That it has done so to increase military spending only adds insult to injury.
“There is no justification for abandoning the world’s most marginalised time and time again to navigate geopolitical developments. This is a political choice—one with devastating consequences. At a time when USAID has been gutted and development initiatives abandoned by one of the world’s largest donors, the UK government appears to be following suit rather than standing against this dangerous trend.
“Cuts to UK ODA will hit those who need it most, especially women and girls. Conflicts in Gaza, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Ukraine are already causing immense civilian suffering. At a time when humanitarian crises are at an all-time high, slashing ODA to a record low is indefensible.
“We have already seen the devastating impact of previous aid cuts; an ActionAid project in Rwanda supporting survivors of gender-based violence was nearly forced to close due to funding shortages. The government repeatedly claims to champion women’s rights and take a ‘different approach’ to development—yet once again, it has chosen to undermine its own commitments.
“Raiding the ODA budget to boost defence spending flies in the face of UN charters—commitments the UK is a signatory to—that call for a reduction in militarisation. This decision will only deepen harm to civilians caught in conflict.
“We urge the government to reverse this shameful and dangerous move before it causes irreparable damage.”
The Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (CAFOD) is the official aid agency of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, and part of Caritas International, working with communities across Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America to fight poverty and injustice, including those worst hit by climate change.
The agency works with people in need, regardless of race, gender, religion or nationality.
They warned “more people will die and many more will lose their livelihoods” as a result of Mr Starmer’s decision.
Christine Allen, Director and CEO of CAFOD, said: “This decision by the British government to reduce ODA from 0.5% to 0.3% means that, in some of the most vulnerable places on earth, more people will die and many more will lose their livelihoods.
“Coming so soon after the USAID freeze, this is another lifeline being pulled away from those in desperate need, at a time when the world feels increasingly precarious.
“The UK has a choice to make: to support those in need or turn our backs on them. What we decide speaks to the very core of who we want to be as a society.
"If we are seeing the decline of aid to support the world’s most vulnerable communities, then the government must redouble its efforts to reform the global debt system, to enable those most in need to emerge from poverty."
The UK Committee for UNICEF (UNICEF UK) raises funds for UNICEF’s emergency and development work for children, promoting and protecting children’s rights in the UK and internationally.
UNICEF works across more than 190 countries and territories, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children.
They said the decision will “undoubtedly risk lives.
Dr Philip Goodwin, CEO of UNICEF UK, said: “We are deeply concerned by the decision taken by the UK Government today to reduce the aid budget even further, and the impact this will have on the world’s most vulnerable children.
“These cuts will mean millions of children not having access to critical health care, not having enough to eat and missing out on their learning. At a time of increased global insecurity and instability, this decision will undoubtedly risk lives.
“The world’s poorest children are in crisis – decades of progress is being undone as a result of climate change, conflict and extreme poverty. Further reductions in the ODA budget will put children’s lives at risk at a time when they need our support the most.
“The UK’s commitment to 0.7% demonstrated our leadership and our compassion. Today’s decision will make it impossible for this government to achieve its aspirations of tackling extreme poverty, addressing the climate crisis and building long-term global security.
“The Prime Minister must urgently reconsider this decision. Or at the very least, clarify immediately how life-saving programmes that support the world’s most vulnerable children will be protected from this cut.”
