In a move that left members of the United Kingdom Parliament reeling, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced plans to slash U.K. aid spending to 0.3% of national income — breaking a key manifesto promise. Why? To fund a bigger defense budget and prove to Trump that the nation is serious about standing up to Russia.
The plan: Aid spending will drop in 2027, just as defense funding jumps to 2.5% — with a long-term goal of hitting 3%. In Starmer’s words, “hard choices” had to be made, even if it wasn’t a decision he “wanted to take or that I’m happy to take.”
But critics aren’t buying it. NGOs, members of Parliament, and aid groups are calling it reckless, short-sighted, and a betrayal, warning it will hurt the world’s most vulnerable, damage the U.K.’s global reputation, and even weaken national security.
Some of the strongest reactions:
- Global Justice Now: “A day of shame for Britain.”
- Save the Children UK: “A betrayal of the world’s most vulnerable children.”
- Bond network CEO Romilly Greenhill: “A reckless decision that will have devastating consequences.”
Even U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy had previously called similar aid cuts “a big strategic mistake” — yet now, the U.K. is following Washington’s lead, writes my colleague Rob Merrick.
What’s next? Parliament will need to approve the rollback of the U.K.’s legal 0.7% of GNI aid commitment, setting up a major political showdown. And with backlash mounting, Starmer may soon find himself facing more “hard choices” than he bargained for.
Read: UK will slash billions in aid spending to fund larger military