Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on February 28, 2025
1 min readLast updated: January 25, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleUK Minister Anneliese Dodds resigns after PM Starmer cuts foreign aid to boost defence spending, prompting humanitarian concerns.
LONDON (Reuters) - British international development minister Anneliese Dodds resigned on Friday over Prime Minister Keir Starmer's decision to slash the foreign aid budget in order to boost defence spending.
Starmer on Tuesday announced he would increase annual defence spending, in a signal to U.S. President Donald Trump that Britain could boost Europe's security.
The increase would be funded by cutting the overseas development budget from 0.5% of GDP to 0.3%.
Humanitarian charities said they were "stunned" and "appalled" by the decision, warning it would damage UK influence and have a devastating impact on those they support.
(Reporting by Catarina Demony; writing by Sachin Ravikumar, editing by William James)
The article discusses UK Minister Anneliese Dodds' resignation over PM Keir Starmer's decision to cut the foreign aid budget to increase defence spending.
Anneliese Dodds resigned due to disagreement with PM Starmer's decision to cut the foreign aid budget, which she opposed.
The cut in the aid budget could weaken UK influence and negatively impact humanitarian efforts, according to charities.
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