Anneliese Dodds, UK Minister of International Development quit on Friday after Prime Minister Keir Starmer chose to cut the budget for foreign aid to finance increased defense spending.
Dodds’ departure followed exactly a day after the publicised Starmer-US President Donald Trump White House meeting over a trade deal and the Ukrainian war. Starmer, as an indication of UK’s firm positioning in Europe in terms of security, presented an increase in defence spending at the expense of cutting the foreign aid budget by taking it down to 0.3% of GDP from 0.5%.
The move triggered outrage from humanitarian groups, who threatened it would tarnish Britain’s international reputation and have a profoundly negative impact on aid work in regions of crisis. Dodds, in her letter of resignation, highlighted utmost concern regarding the effect the cuts will have, especially on humanitarian work in Gaza, Sudan, and Ukraine.
“These reductions will leave hungry people short of food and medical care, badly damaging the UK’s reputation internationally,” she posted on X.
Dodds waited until after Starmer’s trip to the US before announcing her resignation so that it wouldn’t overshadow his visit. She also denounced the move as aligning with Trump’s suspension of US foreign aid.
In turn, Starmer stood by his move, saying that though it was hard, national security is still the government’s priority. “We will rebuild our development capabilities, but safeguarding the country first,” he stated.
The UK is still the globe’s fifth-largest international aid donor, giving more than $19 billion in 2023. But Dodds complained that the aid budget shouldered the full weight of the defense spending hike. Even with their long political alliance, her resignation underlines increasing tensions about the government’s budget priorities.
