UK International Development Minister Anneliese Dodds resigned on Friday, February 28, in protest against cuts to overseas aid ordered by Prime Minister Keir Starmer to boost defence spending.
“Ultimately, these cuts will remove food and healthcare from desperate people,” Dodds wrote in her resignation letter to Starmer, which she shared on X.
On Tuesday, February 25, Starmer committed to increasing UK defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027. To fund this, he reduced the overseas development budget from 0.5% to 0.3% of gross national income.
Dodds acknowledged the need for higher defence spending, given that “the post-war global order has come crashing down,” but criticised the lack of collective discussion on securing funds. “Instead, the tactical decision was taken for ODA to absorb the entire burden,” she said, referring to overseas development assistance.
In response, Starmer admitted that cutting aid was “a difficult and painful decision” but insisted that “protecting our national security must always be the first duty of any government.”
Following Dodds’ resignation, Starmer appointed his long-time ally Jenny Chapman as international development minister. Dodds warned that the cuts would jeopardise aid efforts in Gaza, Ukraine, and Sudan, as well as climate change initiatives and vaccination programmes.
“It will be impossible to maintain these priorities given the depth of the cuts,” she said, adding that the decision could force the UK to withdraw from several African, Caribbean, and Western Balkan nations.
Starmer reassured her that his government would “continue to protect vital programmes, including in the world’s worst conflict zones.”
Dodds is the fourth minister to leave Starmer’s cabinet since Labour’s victory last year, which ended 14 years of Conservative rule.
Earlier this month, Starmer dismissed junior health minister Andrew Gwynne for making anti-Semitic, racist, and sexist remarks in a WhatsApp chat.
In January, anti-corruption minister Tulip Siddiq resigned after being implicated in corruption investigations in Bangladesh. In November, Louise Haigh stepped down as transport secretary after it emerged that she had pleaded guilty to a criminal offence before becoming an MP.
