UK Boosts Defense Budget and Reduces Foreign Aid Ahead of PM Starmer’s Critical Meeting with Trump

Britain is planning to boost its defense budget significantly, Prime Minister Keir Starmer shared on Tuesday. This announcement comes just before his important meeting with US President Donald Trump in Washington.

Starmer aims to increase military spending from 2.3% to 2.5% of the UK’s GDP by 2027, with a further rise to 2.6% the following year. This decision comes amid growing tension between Trump and Europe concerning the ongoing war in Ukraine.

“We cannot choose sides between our allies,” Starmer stated in Parliament. He emphasized that the connection with the United States is Britain’s most vital alliance. “I plan to strengthen this relationship,” he added, expressing his commitment ahead of his meeting with Trump.

Starmer also expressed a goal to raise defense spending to 3% in the next parliamentary session, which is expected to begin no later than 2029. However, this target will depend on the financial situation at that time. Trump has suggested that NATO allies should strive for even higher spending levels of 5%, stating that the US will not guarantee Europe’s security alone.

“This marks the largest sustained increase in defense funding since the Cold War,” said Starmer as he outlined the new plans.

Part of the funding for this increase will come from cuts to international development spending, which will drop from 0.5% to 0.3% of GDP in the coming years. Starmer acknowledged that he was unhappy to make this decision, noting that such changes require tough choices.

Charities dependent on international development funds were quick to respond, expressing their shock. WaterAid, which focuses on providing clean water to those in need, labeled the cuts a “cruel betrayal” of people in poverty worldwide.

Save The Children UK’s CEO, Moazzam Malik, warned that these cuts would create a more dangerous environment for children, both now and in the future.

Hannah Bond, co-CEO of ActionAid UK, criticized the cuts as “reckless,” emphasizing that undermining support for the world’s most vulnerable individuals due to geopolitical shifts is unacceptable.

“This is a political decision with serious consequences,” she said.

The previous Conservative government had set a goal to reach a 2.5% defense spending target by 2030. After Starmer’s election victory last year, he continued to uphold this objective but did not specify a timeline for achieving it.

“Courage is what is needed in our time,” Starmer concluded, as he challenged MPs to support the new timeline for defense spending.