State Secretary of the British Foreign Ministry for International Development Anneliese Dodds announced on Friday in response to the reduction of humanitarian funds to increase defense spending. This is reported to TASR, according to the AFP report.
“Ultimately, these cuts will take food and health care desperate people,” Dodds said in a letter to Prime Minister Keir Starmer. On Tuesday, the Prime Minister promised to increase defense spending to 2.5 percent of GDP by 2027. At the same time, he ordered a reduction in budget to humanitarian aid from 0.5 to 0.3 percent.
Dodds, in her own words, believed in the need to increase the defense budget, but hoped to discuss where she would find money. “Instead, a tactical decision has been taken that the whole burden will be taken over by foreign development aid,” added. In response to her letter, Starmer admitted that the reduction of humanitarian aid was a “difficult and painful decision”. “However, the protection of our national security must always be the main duty of every government,” added.
Dodds feared the end of aid in Gaza, Ukraine and Sudan, as well as the ends of the programs intended to combat the climate crisis and vaccination. According to Starmer, the government “will continue to protect important programs, including those in the world’s worst war zones”.
The State Secretary for International Development has become a fourth member of the Cabinet who left the Starmer government since last year’s victory of the Labor Party. It will be replaced by Jenny Chapman.
