British Prime Minister Kiir Starmer announced the will Increase defensive spending By lowering the foreign aid budget, the step that he says is necessary because the UK faces a “dangerous new era”.

Starmer said on Tuesday that with the UK faced a “period of deep change” amid conflicts abroad, including the war in Ukraine, it has been committed to increasing defensive spending to 2.5 percent of GDP (GDP) by April 2027, an increase of 2.3 percent.

He also set a goal to spend “3 percent of GDP on defense” after the upcoming general elections in 2029.

“It is my first duty as prime minister to maintain the safety of our country. In a more dangerous world, increasing our country’s flexibility so that we can protect the British people, resist future trauma and support British interests is vital.”

He added: “By spending more to defense, we will provide stability that supports economic growth and will open prosperity through new jobs, skills and opportunities throughout the country.”

Starmer’s decision to announce the greatest increase in spending on defense because the Cold War comes amid fears that the United States’s decision to work closely with Russia to end a three -year war in Ukraine will be shed to the confusion of Kiev and European allies.

The decision also comes as Starmer travels to Washington, DC, to meet US President Donald Trump on Thursday.

Here is what we know about the increase in defense spending:

How much money does the United Kingdom spend on defense?

According to the Ministry of Defense, the United Kingdom spent 53.9 billion pounds (68.3 billion dollars) on the defense during the fiscal year 2023-2024, which ended on March 31.

Starmer announced on Tuesday that the increase in defense spending will reach a total of 13.4 billion pounds (17 billion dollars) every year after reducing foreign aid from 0.5 percent to 0.3 percent to 2027.

Trump called on NATO members of the NATO military alliance, which includes the United Kingdom, to adhere to the spending of 5 percent of the gross domestic product of defense, a threshold in which the United States, which has the largest army in the world.

While NATO guidelines call on member states to spend at least 2 percent of national production on defense, in January, Secretary General Mark Retty also called for an increase in the goal of spending to meet “tomorrow’s challenges.”

How did Starmer justify increased defense spending?

At a press conference on Tuesday, Starmer said that the increasing defensive spending was “three years in making”, referring to Russia’s war against Ukraine.

When Sky News asked whether the decision was taken after Trump called for an increase in European powers, Starmer said it was “my decision.”

He said, “He was arguing for some time” that Europe and the United Kingdom “needed to do more.”

Starmer added that although he was not “happy” to make a decision to cut out external aid and will do “everything” to re -financing, the defense between the British people and its security must come first.

However, the former Foreign Minister and Chairman of the current International Salvation Committee, David Miliband, condemned the reduction of foreign aid as “a blow to Britain’s proud reputation as a global humanitarian and development leader.”

“It is now time to escalate poverty, conflict and insecurity,” said Miliband, who represented Starmer is a member of the Labor Party. statement.

What was the response?

Benjamin Martel, the chief lecture in politics and international relations at Edinburgh University, told the island that the decision to increase defense spending was “completely surprising.”

“The UK has been under pressure for years along with other European allies to increase the ratio of gross domestic product that it spends on the defense and the percentage within that on research and development [research and development] Martel said the real investment, which reflects the fears that America is still largely defending the European defense.

However, Ian Mitchell, co -manager of Europe and a senior policy fellow at the World Development Center, said to the island that the decision is “short -sighted.”

“I don’t think there is any doubt that there is a need to increase defensive spending, but I believe that reducing this from the aid budget is self -defeat. … [As] Russia invades Ukraine, the main response to the United Kingdom is to reduce the international aid budget. I think this is a terrible view of the UK with a reputation and shortening. “

“There are pressure on public spending, which is [Starmer’s] Mitchell explained that himself gives himself a great challenge by promising not to increase different taxes, but also the desire to make more effort on public spending regarding defense, health and other places.

How will the decision help enhance British defenses?

Martel explained that investing in the United Kingdom’s defense capabilities would help modernize the armed forces at a time when Starmer indicated that the future presence of British forces in Ukraine is a possibility as part of a security guarantee in a peace deal.

Martel said: “The increase in spending will contribute to the United Kingdom’s defense, but also to the wider defense of Europe and will feed directly to the UK position in NATO and its contribution to other formats for defense cooperation.”

But some critics have said that allocating 2.5 percent for defense after two years from now is not enough to make Britain really ready for the challenges it faces.

Former Defense Minister Ben Wallace of the Conservative Party described the decision as “amazing abandonment of leadership.”

Wallace wrote on X: “The deaf tone of the dangers of the world and the demands of the United States,” adding that it is a “weak” commitment to the security of the nation.

An additional 0.2 % of GDP by 2027 for defense ?? Amazing abandonment of driving. A deaf tone of the dangers of the world and the demands of the United States. This weak commitment to our security and our nation all puts us at risk.

– RT. Hun Ben Wallace (@Benwallace70) February 25, 2025

What are the effects of the decision on external aid?

In the autumn budget, the government allocated 13.3 billion pounds (16.9 billion dollars) in foreign aid for the fiscal year 2024-2025 and 13.7 billion pounds (17.4 billion dollars) in 2025-26-about 0.5 percent of national economic production.

The data of the Commonwealth and Foreign Development Office indicates that Africa is the largest beneficiary of aid in the United Kingdom, followed by the Middle East, North Africa, Asia and the Pacific.

Starmer announced a 40 percent reduction in the external aid budget without clarifying the areas that will face the most discounts. Mitchell said the effects would be “very large.”

He said, “The UK was traditional, a great human being,” he said. “This looks impossible now in light of discounts.”

“The aid budget in the UK actually focuses on some of the poorest countries in the world, … support basic health services, reproductive rights, and life -saving interventions [that] He will have to stop and unfortunately people will be lost. “

Moreover, Martel explained that foreign aid is a British “soft power” and is an “important component in the UK relations with many southern global countries that the UK seeks to dispense with actively to support its view of the world.”