The increase in defence spending from 2.3 per cent to 2.5 per cent of GDP will be funded by cutting spending on overseas aid from 0.5 per cent of gross national income (GNI) to 0.3 per cent, Sir Keir said.
Chief executive Mozzam Malik described the change as “jeopardising the UK’s partnership with countries across the world” and said it will “have direct consequences for children and families in the UK as well as around the world”.
Save the Children UK similarly said it was “stunned” by the move, labelling it “a betrayal of the world’s most vulnerable children and the UK’s national interest”.
UK foreign aid will be slashed from 0.5 to 0.3 per cent of GDP to fund an increase in defence spending.
Sir Keir Starmer is set to slash the UK’s foreign aid budget to fund the largest increase in defence spending since the Cold War.
