New Delhi: In a major move, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced drastic cuts to Britain’s international aid budget and in its stead increased the country’s defence spending. The move comes as the war between Ukraine and Russia completes three years, and the US looks to shift towards Ukrainian interests while attempting to bring about a peace plan.

In the announcement, the UK government acknowledged that they were facing a period of profound change, with conflicts overseas undermining security and prosperity at home. As a result the UK has set out its commitment to increase spending on defence to 2.5 per cent of GDP from April 2027, three years earlier than planned. The move also comes at a time when Starmer prepares for a tricky visit to the US this week.

In line with its growing ambitions, the UK also plans to spend 3 per cent of GDP on defence in the next parliament, as economic and fiscal conditions allow. The move purportedly comes as the UK administration looks to respond to ‘tyrants’ such as Vladimir Putin and respond to the changing picture on Ukraine after Trump’s return to power.

The increase in budget spending comes at a cost though. The rise in the budget expenditure, about £13.4bn more every year from 2027, would........

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