Beitrag vom 28.02.2025

BBC News

Minister Anneliese Dodds quits over aid cuts

Kate Whannel
Political reporter
Vicki Young
Deputy Political Editor

International Development Minister Anneliese Dodds has resigned over the prime minister's cuts to the aid budget.

In a letter to Sir Keir Starmer, Dodds said the cuts to international aid, announced earlier this week to fund an increase in defence spending, would "remove food and healthcare from desperate people - deeply harming the UK's reputation".

She told the PM she had delayed her resignation until after his meeting with President Trump, saying it was "imperative that you had a united cabinet behind you as you set off for Washington".

The Oxford East MP, who attended cabinet despite not being a cabinet minister, said it was with "sadness" that she was resigning.

She said that while Sir Keir had been clear he was not "ideologically opposed" to international development, the cuts were "being portrayed as following in President Trump's slipstream of cuts to USAID".

Ahead of his trip to meet the US president, Sir Keir announced aid funding would be reduced from 0.5% of gross national income to 0.3% in 2027 in order to fund an increase in defence spending.

In his reply to Dodds's resignation letter, the prime minister thanked the departing minister for her "hard work, deep commitment and friendship".

He said cutting aid was a "difficult and painful decision and not one I take lightly" adding: "We will do everything we can...to rebuild a capability on development."

Baroness Chapman of Darlington, formerly a Labour MP, has been appointed to replace Dodds as international development minister.