Anneliese Dodds, the international development minister, has stepped down from her position in response to Keir Starmer’s decision to significantly reduce the international aid budget by almost half. This reduction is aimed at financing a substantial increase in defense spending. Dodds, a senior Labour MP who attended cabinet meetings, believes that the UK’s withdrawal from development efforts will strengthen Russia and help China attempt to reshape global rules. She predicts that it will be “impossible” for Starmer to maintain development spending in regions such as Gaza, Sudan, and Ukraine with the reduced budget, which is set to decrease by approximately £6bn by 2027. Dodds acknowledges the need for increased defense spending in light of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine but argues that there are no easy paths to achieving this. She suggests that the 3% defense spending ambition may only be the beginning given the volatile global situation and urges the government to explore alternative methods of raising funds, including revisiting borrowing rules and taxation. Other cabinet ministers, including David Lammy, the foreign secretary, have expressed concerns about the plans to cut aid spending by 46%, warning of potential unintended consequences. Starmer made the unexpected announcement in the Commons, stating that the decision was not taken lightly and was necessary to secure the security and defense of the country. However, the move has sparked anger from aid groups and criticism from former military leaders, who believe it is a strategic error that could weaken the UK’s global influence and ultimately burden its armed forces. In her resignation letter, Dodds expresses her belief in the importance of increasing defense spending but emphasizes that there are no easy paths to doing so. She also raises concerns about the potential impacts on national security and global influence as hostile nations take advantage of the situation.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/feb/28/anneliese-dodds-resigns-keir-starmer-cut-aid-budget