3 h. ago Blow for Keir Starmer as senior Labour minister quits over aid cut to fund defence

Anneliese Dodds said she knew there were no “easy paths” to increase defence spending

Politics

4 h. ago Dodds quits as international development minister over aid cut to fund defence

Anneliese Dodds warned that the move would affect the UK’s support for Gaza, Sudan and Ukraine.

Politics

4 h. ago Anneliese Dodds quits as international development minister over aid budget cut

Scottish Labour MP quits ‘with sadness’ following move to raid aid budget to increase defence spending

Politics

5 h. ago Anneliese Dodds quits cabinet over aid cut in blow to Keir Starmer

Anneliese Dodds walked out as international development minister following the decision to slash the aid budget in order to fund an increase in defence spending

Politics

9 h. ago Keir Starmer to carry out largest cut to UK overseas aid in history

NGOs accuse prime minister of following US by accepting ‘false choice’ of cutting aid to fund defenceSir Keir Starmer is to take UK overseas aid to its lowest level as a percentage of national income since records began, even if he manages to halve the current £4.5bn cost of housing asylum seekers.The extraordinary finding, a complete reversal of Labour manifesto pledges and its historical commitment to helping the world’s poorest, is made by Ian Mitchell, the co-director of the respected London-based thinktank the Centre for Global Development. Continue reading...

Politics

29 h. ago Aid cut will have ‘devastating impact’ on world’s poorest, church leaders warn

The Prime Minister recently announced the foreign aid budget will be cut in order to fund an increase in defence spending.

Events

42 h. ago Keir Starmer 'set to blow defence billions on Chagos Islands surrender' as Labour repeatedly fails to deny that a significant chunk of its increase in military spending will fund airbase sell

Sir Keir Starmer yesterday 'all but confessed' Labour's defence spending boost would be used to help fund the Chagos Islands giveaway, it was claimed last night.

Events

45 h. ago Donald Trump says Europe must guarantee Ukraine security not US in blow to Keir Starmer before Washington talks

Prime Minister hopes to convince US president to provide security ‘backstop’ at crunch meeting in Washington - as Trump says Ukraine can ‘forget about joining Nato’

Politics

45 h. ago Donald Trump says Europe must provide Ukraine security not US in blow to Keir Starmer before Washington talks

Prime Minister hopes to convince US president to provide security ‘backstop’ at crunch meeting in Washington

Politics

49 h. ago Starmer accused of defence spend ‘cover up’ in row over how £9bn Chagos deal is funded

The PM said the uplift would boost ‘our capability on defence and security in Europe’, but stopped short of ruling out using defence cash to fund Chagos deal

Economics

51 h. ago Keir Starmer FAILS to rule out Labour's defence spending boost being used to fund £9billion deal to hand Chagos Islands to Mauritius

The Prime Minister has announced that Britain's defence spending will rise from its current 2.3 per cent of GDP to 2.5 per cent in 2027.

Economics

69 h. ago UK foreign aid: How much is spent and who receives it as Starmer slashes budget

UK foreign aid will be slashed from 0.5 to 0.3 per cent of GDP to fund an increase in defence spending

Economics

2 d. ago German parliament in race against time to sign off on new defence fund

Friedrich Merz, expected to be next chancellor, has spoken of urgent need for ramped-up defence, but ‘blocking minority’ could form in future BundestagGermany’s outgoing parliament could be asked to sign off on a new defence fund in its final weeks as the conservative winners of Sunday’s election seek to balance geopolitical demands with the looming pressures of a new Bundestag hostile to military spending.Since the victory of his CDU/CSU alliance, Friedrich Merz has spoken of the urgent need for Europe to ramp up its own defence capabilities, saying it needs “independence from the USA” amid an unpredictable Trump administration and a looming threat from Russia. Continue reading...

Politics

2 d. ago WW3 fears grow as Starmer denies Trump forced 'biggest change since Cold War'

To fund the increases in defence spending, Starmer said 'painful' decisions will have to be made as he explained development assistance aid will be cut from 0.5% to 0.3%

Politics

2 d. ago Keir Starmer addresses nation after slashing aid budget to fund 'biggest sustained rise' in defence spending since Cold War

The Prime Minister said ‘extremely difficult and painful choices’ would be needed to reach the spending goal, including the cut to foreign aid

Economics

3 d. ago Charities ‘shocked’ and ‘stunned’ by decision to cut aid to fund defence spending

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has announced a dramatic increase in defence spending from the current 2.3% to 2.5% by 2027.

Economics

3 d. ago Starmer slashes aid to fund biggest increase in defence spending since Cold War

Sir Keir Starmer set out plans for defence spending to reach 2.7% of gross domestic product in 2027.

Economics

3 d. ago Keir Starmer slashes aid budget to fund 'biggest sustained rise' in defence spending since Cold War

The Prime Minister said ‘extremely difficult and painful choices’ would be needed to reach the spending goal, including the cut to foreign aid

Economics

3 d. ago Sir Keir Starmer announces cuts to UK aid budget to fund defence spending increase

The Prime Minister announced the increase ahead of a meeting with Donald Trump

Economics

3 d. ago Merz warned he must change tone during Germany coalition talks – Europe live

Friedrich Merz aiming to build government before Easter but SPD co-leader says man expected to be chancellor must change courseBut, but, but before we even get to the new Bundestag in late March, there is some plotting under way to change the country’s constitutional debt brake in this parliament before it finishes its term.Once the new parliament gets in, two opposition parties – the far-right AfD and the far-left Die Linke – will have a blocking majority for constitutional changes and are unlikely to be willing to agree to fund further defence spend this way. Continue reading...

Events