Keir Starmer’s decision to reduce the foreign aid budget in order to pay for increased spending on defence is a “strategic mistake” that will ultimately add to the burden on Britain’s armed forces, a former head of the British army has warned.
Gen Lord Richard Dannatt, who is one of a number of former military chiefs and figures who have called on the government to boost its defence spending above the 2.5% GDP target, said the prime minister’s decision was “shortsighted” and “dangerously counterproductive”.
While he welcomed the overall increase in defence spending in an op-ed for the Guardian, Dannatt described the cut as a “failure of our values” which “risks making us weaker, not stronger”, and said it was a “moment for leadership” in a world where the US was “stepping back from underwriting European security”.
He wrote: “It is time for a rethink. If we are serious about security, we must recognise that diplomacy, development and defence are not competing priorities – they are complementary. A well-funded aid programme, alongside increased defence investment, will ensure that Britain remains a global leader – both in strength and in moral authority. We cannot afford to get this wrong.
“If the government is serious about taking defence spending to 3% in the next parliament, it may well have to break its own fiscal rules and either raise taxes or increase borrowing. We may all have to share in the cost of doing the right thing.”
The former army chief argued it was a false premise that aid and defence were in competition.
Ministers had learned of the move four days before Starmer made the announcement on Tuesday. However, the advance warning did not prevent some from raising their concerns about the plan during a cabinet meeting.
Earlier this month, the foreign secretary, David Lammy, said aid cuts could allow China to step in and further its global influence, although on Wednesday night he said the cut was one of “the hard-headed decisions you make when you are in government”.
Dannatt said: “As General Jim Mattis, the former US secretary of defence, famously put it: ‘If you don’t fund the state department fully, then I need to buy more ammunition, ultimately.’ That same logic applies to Britain. Every pound we cut from development aid today risks costing us far more in future military operations. Complacency kills – both in war and in strategic planning.
“The decision to reduce aid from 0.7% to 0.5% of national income [in 2021] was already a mistake, weakening Britain’s global standing and reducing our ability to shape international affairs. Now, slashing aid further to fund defence spending is not just shortsighted – it is dangerously counterproductive. Weak states become breeding grounds for terrorism, organised crime, and mass migration crises.”
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Starmer will hope his increase in defence spending to 2.5% of GDP from April 2027 will convince Donald Trump that European nations are serious about the security of their continent.
More than 100 NGOs from across the UK, including Save the Children, Christian Aid and Action Aid have written an open letter to the prime minister and the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, calling for a reversal of the aid cut decision.
They warn the move will “destroy Labour’s legacy on international development” and leave the government’s “ambition to be a reliable development partner on the global stage in tatters”.
Source: theguardian.com
