UK to Hike Defence Spending to 2.5% of GDP by Cutting Aid Budget, Says Starmer
- The United Kingdom will increase its defense spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027, an annual increase of £13.4 billion, as announced by Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
- Keir Starmer stated that the increase in defense spending comes from a reduction in overseas aid from 0.5% to 0.3% of GDP over the next two years.
- Some UK lawmakers criticized the decision, with MP Charolette Cane calling the aid cuts 'hugely shortsighted' and harmful to vulnerable populations.
- Starmer emphasized the necessity of stronger national security measures due to Russian aggression, stating that the UK must change its approach to national security.
175 Articles
175 Articles
Stewart Harper: Why defence and development should go hand in hand in building British security
Stewart Harper is a a Conservative activist, a former parliamentary candidate, and was part of the Coalition for Global Prosperity’s first cohort of Future Leaders. The events of the last few days have demonstrated, if evidence was required, that we need to make better provision for our own defence. So, the decision by the Labour government to match the Conservatives’ manifesto pledge, and increase defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP, is a …
Soldier pay rises, NICs and nuclear weapons to swallow up extra cash for defence
The increase in UK defence spending risks being swallowed up by the rising costs of Armed Forces personnel, the nuclear deterrent and demands on the equipment budget, experts have warned.Keir Starmer’s announcement of £6bn more in real terms for defence from 2027 – reaching 2.5 per cent of GDP – is expected to be spent on filling gaps in weaponry and servicemen and women, with the extra hike to 3 per cent during the next Parliament likely to fun…
Cutting international aid to pay for defence is Starmer’s first spending review trade-off
Cutting international aid to pay for defence is Starmer’s first spending review trade-off sam.macrory Wed, 26/02/2025 - 18:30 The government’s decision to slash the aid budget to increase defence spending is controversial. 4 Comment Ben Paxton Institute for Government Yes Starmer's defence spending decision might earn plaudits from the White House – but could the real beneficiary could be China? Public finances International development Defence …
DECRYPTAGE - Prior to his meeting with Donald Trump this Thursday, Keir Starmer announced an increase in the defence budget to 2.5% of GDP by 2027, while British forces must be adapted to a high-intensity war.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer is traveling to Washington with a recent decision to increase Britain's defense spending to 2.5% of GDP.
Starmer announces aid cuts to fund defence – but Britain’s days as an aid superpower are already long over
Keir Starmer’s announcement that the UK will cut foreign aid in order to fund more defence spending seems like smart politics. With the US’s commitment to European security in question, it is clear that European countries, including the UK, need to spend more on defence. The US president, Donald Trump, with whom the prime minister is meeting on Thursday, has long called out Europeans for free-riding on America’s security guarantee. Credible prom…
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