Labour veteran Diane Abbott hit out at Keir Starmer’s decision to spend money of ‘armaments and tanks’ rather than overseas aid – a decision that has sparked a furious backlash
PMQs: Abbott quizzes Starmer on foreign aid cut
Labour veteran Diane Abbott has confronted Keir Starmer over his controversial decision to spend money on “armaments and tanks” rather than foreign aid.
The PM has come under fire after announcing he will fund a hike in the defence budget by seizing cash from overseas development. Experts have warned this could have a devastating effect on some of the world’s poorest and lead to more dangers in the future.
Ms Abbott told MPs that the decision could make the world less safe. Mr Starmer said it was necessary because of the threat the UK faces if Vladimir Putin prevails in Ukraine, but the move has sparked an outcry from human rights groups and MPs.
Ms Abbott told him at PMQs : “The whole country stands behind the people of Ukraine, but there is also a view that taking money from aid and development to spend on armaments and tanks makes people less safe, not more so – because the desperation and the poverty that so often leads to warfare is what aid and develop money is supposed to counter.”
The PM responds by saying the decision to cut the overseas aid budget to 0.3% of gross national income wasn’t one he took lightly or wanted to make. The Government has said it will protect humanitarian funding for conflict zones in Ukraine, Gaza and Sudan.
Mr Starmer said: “I said yesterday that the overseas development is important. I’m proud of what we’ve done, it wasn’t a decision I took lightly or I wanted to take.
“But it is important at this moment that we put the defence and security of our country and Europe uppermost. We will, of course, make sure that we’re able to fulfil our humanitarian obligations in relation to Gaza, Ukraine and Sudan, and other vital work.
“And I want to be clear that we do, of course, want to go back and increase that funding as soon as we’re able to do so.”
Following the decision Dr Halima Begum, chief executive of Oxfam UK, told The Mirror: “Keir Starmer is putting missiles before medicine. This makes a mockery of both the Government’s stated promise to stand in partnership with the developing countries and the pledge it made to the British people in its manifesto.”
She added that it would harm the UK’s interests in the future, and could have a knock-on effect on the number of people trying to reach the UK in small boats. Dr Begum said: “Foreign aid not just wins hearts and minds overseas, but buys us a stake in emerging economies, it is the best way to ensure peace in our world and addresses the root causes of so many of our current preoccupations, such as the Channel crossings, by making inhabitable again communities that have been rendered uninhabitable by war and climate change.”
It comes against the backdrop of Donald Trump winding down USAID – the United States Agency for International Development. Former minister Clare Short, who served under Tony Blair, told LabourList on Tuesday: “It splashes money on defence spending and Ukraine and is not focused on bringing peace to Ukraine – and disgracefully, it has still not abolished the two-child benefit cap.
“I am afraid that, in many respects, this is simply not a Labour government.” And Labour former Foreign Secretary David Miliband, now head of the International Rescue Committee, branded it “a blow to Britain’s proud reputation as a global humanitarian and development leader.”
Defending the move, Deputy PM Angela Rayner wrote: “You can have our reassurance that this government will do everything we can to return to a world where that is not the case and rebuild our capacity on development.
“But at times like this, the defence and security of the British people must always come first. That is the number one duty of this Labour Government and the foundation of our Plan for Change, that seeks to make working people better off.”
