International Development Minister and MP for Oxford East, Anneliese Dodds, resigned from her post as a minister of state on the 28th of February. This was following the Prime Minister’s announcement that the UK aid budget will be cut from 0.5% to 0.3% of GNI by 2027. The cut in aid funding will be used to fund an increase in defence spending; Starmer announced plans to increase defence spending from 2.3% to 2.5%.
Dodds’ resignation letter explained that she recognised the need to increase defence spending in a turbulent time wherein “the postwar global order has come crashing down”, something which has been reflected in the many serious conflicts in recent times. Further, Dodds noted that she understood the potential need to finance these spending hikes through cuts to Overseas Development Assistance (ODA). What Dodds was dissatisfied with, however, was Starmer’s “tactical” decision for ODA spending to absorb “the entire burden”.
Going forward, she noted that Starmer may be in a difficult position to continue delivering effective support to Gaza, Sudan and Ukraine given the significant depth of the cut. A comment from the Chair of the International Development Committee, Sarah Champion, urged Starmer to reconsider the cut. Champion claimed that the cut would undermine the UK’s £250m “investment” in aid to Ukraine, by putting more of the UK budget into a “war chest”. She states that conflict is often an outcome of “desperation, climate and insecurity”, and ODA is a strategy to prevent these issues. Funding defence is a remedy to the “deadly consequences” of conflict, but she urged the PM to commit finances to preventing these causes of conflict.
Starmer reportedly thanked Dodds for her “hard work, deep commitment and friendship”, and stated that he did not take the decision to cut aid lightly. The fact remains, though, that the PM’s decision stands, and Dodds’ resignation marks the first ministerial resignation over policy matters in Starmer’s administration. A resignation over policy is a bold statement about the confidence of frontbenchers in decisions taken by their colleagues. The Sunday Times emphasises that Dodds’ critique of the cuts and the manner of their announcement is likely to “resonate among ministers and MPs of like mind”.
Following her resignation, Dodds will continue to serve as the MP for Oxford East from the backbenches. Her resignation letter makes it clear that she will continue to support the current government and its “determination to deliver the change our country needs”. Baroness Jenny Chapman has been named as Dodds’ replacement.