Starmer announces big cut to UK aid budget to boost defence spending

PM confirms rise in military spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 – three years earlier than planned

Keir Starmer has announced drastic cuts to Britain’s international aid budget to help pay for a major increase in defence spending, amid fears over Donald Trump’s commitment to European security.

The prime minister said the UK government would increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 – three years earlier than planned – as he prepared for what is likely to be a diplomatically fraught visit to Washington DC this week.

Topics

Starmer cuts aid to fund hike in defence spending

The prime minister sets out plans to increase defence spending to 2.5% of national income by 2027.
BBC News - 2h
Starmer defends slashing aid budget to raise defence spending to 2.5% of GDP - UK politics live

Keir Starmer says now is the time to deepen European security, as he announces new defence budget by 2027. The rightwing historian Niall Ferguson is in the audience for Badenoch’s speech, ...
The Guardian - 3h
Keir Starmer urged to ramp up defence spending – UK politics live

This is ‘probably one of the most alarming times for Britain’s defence since the second world war’, says Lib Dem leader Ed Davey as he calls for more spending. The Democratic Unionist Party has ...
The Guardian - 4d
UK to raise defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027

Starmer’s announcement of ‘biggest sustained rise’ since cold war comes ahead of Trump meeting on Thursday
Financial Times - 5h
Starmer commits to raise UK defense spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027

Prime Minister Keir Starmer says the U.K. will raise defense spending to 2.5% of gross domestic product by 2027
ABC News - 7h
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CBS News - 32m
Will Starmer's defence hike win over Trump?

The prime minister has set out plans to increase defence spending to 2.5% of national income by 2027.
BBC News - 22m
This is a hard choice. We believe in foreign aid – but we have to make cuts. We must keep the UK safe | David Lammy

Putin’s Russia is a threat to all Europe, including the UK. Vital aid work will be hit as we spend more on defence, but we must deal with the world as it is. There are moments in history when ...
The Guardian - 2h
Why Germany’s debt rules are a bellwether for EU defence spending

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Financial Times - 15h