Plaid Cymru leader blasts Starmer’s cuts to international aid budget
Rhun ap Iorwerth MS, has criticised the Prime Minister’s decision to reduce the UK’s international aid budget at a time where “conflict, climate change, and extreme poverty become increasingly interconnected.”
On Tuesday, Sir Keir Starmer announced that the UK’s international aid budget will fall from 0.5% to 0.3% of GDP in 2027, in favour of a 0.2% of GDP increase in defence spending.
This decision to boost defence spending due to an expected shift in United States foreign policy under the leadership of President Trump.
Manifesto commitment
The decision taken by the Prime Minister to move the UK’s spending further away from the 0.7% target set by the United Nations General Assembly – a figure the 2024 Labour Party manifesto also committed to restoring – has been met with criticism by key figures from across the political spectrum and campaigners.
Ahead of Sir Keir Starmer’s visit to the US on Wednesday to meet with President Trump, the leader of Plaid Cymru, said: “It is no surprise that the PM’s short-sighted decision to shrink the international aid budget has drawn criticism from across the political spectrum, including his own party.
“It is one thing to look at defence spending as the international context changes, but as conflict, climate change, and extreme poverty become increasingly interconnected, offering people a lifeline in some of the most destitute conditions on earth is critical.
“Collective action of this kind can help promote peace internationally.
“First Trump bows to Putin, now Starmer bows to Trump. This dangerous domino effect will make the world even more unstable, and we have a moral duty to condemn it.”
‘Most important ally’
Writing for the Daily Mail on Wednesday, Sir Keir said national security “must now become a whole-society effort”.
He called the US “our most important ally” on security, and claimed that “turning away from that relationship would be against our history and our fundamental national interest” as he heralded the “biggest increase in defence spending since the end of the Cold War”.
Sir Keir will follow French President Emmanuel Macron in visiting Mr Trump in Washington DC, and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to visit on Friday.
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Soft power is a terrible thing to cut but 14 years of austerity and lack of investment from the Tory party leave little choice. I hope starmer does not bow to trump because he will be cooked if he does.
In my view, the option starmer has gone with is the least controversial. The development fund isn’t big, doesn’t seem that popular,but I’ve seen at first hand, it makes a massive difference especially in African countries. In many parts of Europe, the UK is well respected for this- not just the money but the excellent expertise they have in this area.
I agree. The UK government’s decision is less than ideal, but given that Labour came into office last year after making an absolute commitment that a Labour government would prioritize not raising general taxes on ordinary citizens, a failure to keep that promise would beyond doubt further weaken the already diminished trust that a great many ordinary folk here feel towards our politicians. Of course, back in July no one anticipated for sure that either Trump would be re-elected as US president or that, if he were, he’d immediately make the issue of the defence contributions of European NATO member… Read more »
Quite right, Rhun! Well said. When did more armaments ever stabilise political issues? We’re killing far too many people from hunger and poor health without adding to the death toll with war. The mere threat of war is enough to induce fear and reduce longevity. Given what we’ve seen of the impact of the devastation in Ukraine, Sudan and Palestine on their peoples, homes and societies, there is little good to come from sabre-rattling and its inevitable escalation. How much war do we have to have to make a war dividend worthwhile? How much war can we have within our… Read more »
I can’t see how increasing international development funding will do anything to solve conflicts in Ukraine, South Sudan or with hamas. It’s key in other parts of the world, but not sure it applies here?
Horses for courses, John.
It’ll be recovery and rebuilding first.
Well done to Plaid Cymru Rhun ap Iorwerth for being the moral conscience that lacking by those neocons currently in power at Westminster. PM Keir Starmer showed his true face when he effectively said it was okay for Israel to starve 2.1 million Palestinians out of Gaza. Which for as a former human rights lawyer is disgusting. See it’s a war crime. Only recently we in Wales were told by Welsh Secretary Jo Stevens that Chancellor Rachael Reeves said her government coffers were empty when the Welsh Government asked where our HS2 consequential but was hold you are not having… Read more »
The man for all seasons and salutes, who exactly was Musk and Bannon saluting…?
The Anti-Christ…
and they pray, before breakfast, to the same chimera in the Senedd, apparently…!
The foreign aid budget is a method used by the British Government to exert ‘soft power’ in the former empire and Wales and Plaid Cymru should have no part in it. Often catastrophic for native inhabitants destroying indigenous agriculture when a pallet of free food turns up and in many cases charitable activity is used to prop up despotic regimes, especially in parts of Africa. In Wales is used as a jolly opportunity for washed up politicians to fund overseas travel. The cash is better spent in Wales on social housing and economic development. in particular y fro Gymraeg.
Too much of the “aid” ends up in the overseas (Swiss) bank accounts of crooked 3rd world politicians. Those guys have polished up their fraud activities no doubt mentored by likes of CIA and UK security services. Real aid will be needed in Gaza, for instance, but even that must be closely monitored to ensure it’s not diverted.
Yes, Brychan, but an independent Cymru will need to develop and exert its own soft power in the world.
Knowing what the ‘UK’ has failed to learn, we should avoid most of the mistakes that have been made.
hdavies15 is sadly all too correct. Our modus operandi must be completely different. I envisage Cymru working with places like Costa Rica, Switzerland and the Vatican, and international agencies like Médecins Sans Frontieres, the Red Crescent and Greenpeace, as well as our talented diaspora to multiply our impact in pursuit of equity and peace.