Minister Anneliese Dodds resigns over Starmer move to cut foreign aid budget
Labour minister quits over Starmer’s cuts to foreign aid
- International Development Minister Anneliese Dodds has resigned due to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer's decision to cut the UK's foreign aid budget.
- Sir Keir said earlier this week that the budget would be slashed from 0.5 per cent of gross national income to 0.3 per cent in 2027 in order to funnel more money into defence.
- Ms Dodds warned that the cuts would empower Russia and China, especially in regions like Africa, the Caribbean, and the Western Balkans, where these nations are expanding their influence.
- She revealed she learned about the decision just before Sir Keir’s trip to Washington to meet with President Donald Trump and delayed her resignation to avoid overshadowing it.
- Andrew Mitchell, a former deputy foreign secretary, echoed Dodds' concerns, criticising the move as benefiting Russia and contradicting Labour's previous stance on foreign aid.