The UK Prime Minister announced a budget shift focusing on defense, raising spending from 2.3% to 2.5% of GDP by 2027, while cutting foreign aid from 0.5% to 0.3%. Sir Keir Starmer emphasized the need for increased defense funding, admitting this entails 'extremely difficult and painful choices' to ensure national security. Kemi Badenoch expressed support for these measures, stressing the need for the West to strengthen its stance against Russia. The Liberal Democrats recommended using seized Russian assets to fund enhanced defense spending, calling for a robust response to ongoing global conflicts.
Sir Keir Starmer announced that defence spending will mean £13.4 billion more every year to be spent and admitted this requires "extremely difficult and painful choices."
Starmer told MPs in the House of Commons, "We will do everything we can to return to a world where that is not the case, and rebuild a capability on development, but at times like this, the defence and security of the British people must always come first."
The Tory leader Kemi Badenoch welcomed Starmer's spending increase and said that the West overall has "not done enough to support Ukraine."
Sir Ed Davey said, "We strongly support the prime minister raising defence spending to 2.5%, preferably using seized Russian assets to pay for extra defence support for Ukraine."
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