UK officials are discussing fresh cuts to the falling aid budget to help finance defence investment, sparking anxiety among MPs and charities about the government’s commitment to international development funding.
The proposals to further reduce the aid budget, under discussion in Whitehall according to people familiar with the matter, come after Sir Keir Starmer last year said he would slash development spending to fund a defence spending uplift in order to counter the threat from Russia.
The prime minister said the aid budget would fall from 0.5 per cent of gross national income to 0.3 per cent by 2027 in order to fund a commensurate rise in defence spending, following pressure from Donald Trump on European allies.