British international development minister Anneliese Dodds has resigned over Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s decision to slash the foreign aid budget in order to boost defence spending.
In a letter addressed to the Prime Minister, Ms. Dodds expressed her deep concerns over the recent cuts to international aid, which were announced earlier this week to fund an increase in defence spending. Dodds highlighted the detrimental impact of these cuts, stating that they will remove food and healthcare from desperate people and deeply harm the UK’s reputation.
According to The Guardian report, Dodds warned that reducing development aid would strengthen Russia’s global presence and encourage China’s efforts to reshape international norms.
She said the prime minister would struggle to uphold commitments to maintain aid for Gaza, Sudan, and Ukraine with a budget reduced by about £6 billion by 2027, added the report.