UK to Boost Defense Spending, Slash Foreign Aid

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer made a surprise announcement Tuesday, telling Parliament his government would "begin the biggest sustained increase in defense spending since the end of the Cold War" while slashing the foreign aid budget by 40%, per the CBC. Here's what that means:

• For Trump?: The move, announced on the eve of Starmer's trip to meet President Trump in Washington, was immediately seen as "pandering to the US president," who's been pushing Europe to do more to support NATO, per the Guardian.
• For Europe?: Starmer denied that, saying the "extremely difficult and painful" decision was necessary to support Ukraine and Europe in a "new era," per the Guardian and the CBC. "President Trump thinks we should do more. I agree with him," he added, per Bloomberg.

• Details: Starmer vowed to increase annual defense spending to 2.5% of the country's GDP by 2027, and to 3% by 2034 at the latest, per the New York Times. That means Britain will spend about $7.6 billion more on defense each year after 2027, per the Guardian. It spent about $68 billion in the 2023-24 fiscal year, per the CBC.
• Context: NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has said the next target for defense spending will be "considerably more" than 3% of GDP, up from 2% a decade ago. Trump has been calling for European countries to spend 5% of GDP.
• Responses: US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called it a "strong step from an enduring partner," while Tory MP Andrew Mitchell, a former international development secretary, said "balancing the books on the backs of the poorest people in the world" was wrong and would make the UK "weaker," per the Guardian.

• The cuts: The increase will be covered by a 40% cut to the foreign aid budget, which will go from 0.5% of gross national income down to 0.3% in 2027, per the CBC. Before November 2020, it had been 0.7%. Starmer said Britain would continue to provide aid in key places, like Gaza and Sudan. But there's real concern for international aid given the dismantling of USAID.
• Quote: "I know the impact of the decision that I've had to take today, and I do not take it lightly," Starmer said. "It is not a decision that I ... would have wanted to take, but a decision that I must make in order to secure the security and defense of our country."
• A request of Trump: Starmer is expected to reassure Trump that Europe is ready to support Ukraine in case of a peace deal with Russia. But he said he's looking for a US "backstop" for European security guarantees that "will be vital to deter Russia from launching another invasion," per the CBC.

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