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.
