Keir Starmer announced today that defence spending would increase from 2.3% of GDP to 2.5% by 2027 (an extra £13.4bn annually), and 3% by the next Parliament.
...funded by a cut to the aid budget, from 0.5% to 0.3% by 2027.
A defence spending increase is justifiable, as Europe will probably need to play some role in securing Eastern Europe from Russian attack, given that the US has now decided to abandon its international commitments. But the chosen source of the money is unjustifiable. The aid budget is already stretched beyond breaking point. For as long as we refuse to tax obscene wealth (in individuals, inheritance, corporations etc), cutting vital services & aid is a political choice, not a necessity.