But former foreign office minister and Tory MP Mr Stewart warned that parallel decisions to reduce aid on both sides of the Atlantic would leave the UK and US jointly responsible for “unimaginable damage” to international security and the climate.
Rory Stewart has hit out at Keir Starmer’s decision to slash foreign aid spending to boost the defence budget, comparing the Labour prime minister to Donald Trump.
The decision to slash foreign aid has been condemned by senior Labour figures, including former foreign secretary David Miliband and aid charities, who have accused Sir Keir of “abandoning the poorest in the world”.
Sir Keir’s announcement came just 24 hours before the prime minister flew to Washington DC for his first meeting with the US president since last month’s inauguration.
Mr Stewart’s wife's charity has had $1m in USAID funding stopped, days after he had a bizarre clash with US vice president JD Vance.
