The former Head of the British Army has declared that Nigel Farage is making a “grave error” by pledging to take a sledgehammer to foreign aid.
Speaking to Camilla Tominey on her GB News show this morning, Richard Dannatt discussed the UK’s preparedness for war and the amount of money that should be poured into defence – as well as foreign aid – ahead of the Budget.
Last week, the Reform chief vowed that his party would cut foreign aid by 90 per cent, reducing it to £1billion a year.
The Clacton MP was speaking alongside fellow party boss Zia Yusuf as they outlined how Reform would save £25billion for the Treasury, just as Rachel Reeves is attempting to plug a £50billion black hole in the public purse.
Putting the question to the army expert, Camilla asked: “Has Nigel Farage made a mistake there in announcing that they want to cut the aid budget by nearly £9billion?”
“If he cuts it by nearly £9billion, he’s virtually cut it completely out,” Lord Dannatt responded flatly.
“I don’t necessarily agree with all that. Nigel Farage has got some good points and some less good points.
“But I firmly believe that it’s a strategic error of considerable proportion to have cut our overseas aid budget from 0.7 per cent of GDP to just 0.3 per cent, which it is now, because the money that the UK was spending around the world was helping prevent other problems.
Lord Dannatt said Nigel Farage was making a ‘grave, strategic error’ in cutting foreign aid
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“Problems which result in migration.”
He further warned that the problem becomes cyclical, with people crossing the Channel into small boats, making the perilous journey to flee other nations.
“There are the direct causal links between something like cutting the development aid and actually people coming across the channel, creating the problem,” he added.
The decision to make such a drastic cut would be a “grave error”, with the former army chief saying: “I think if Nigel Farage really thought about it, I think he would think it was a grave error too.
Nigel Farage and Zia Yusuf set out how a Reform Government would make £25billion of savings
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“He must look for other ways to try and find more money for the other things that we need in this country, particularly hard power in defence.”
The UK’s foreign aid budget has already dropped significantly from 0.7 per cent to 0.5 per cent, with Labour planning to cut it further to 0.3 per cent by 2027.
The staggering cuts, putting foreign aid to its lowest since 1999, have been made in order to fund higher defence spending.
A review led by the International Development Committee warned that the reduction of foreign aid is already having tumultuous effects.
The group warned against choosing to splash cash on humanitarian aid rather than development, which they say “builds long-term resilience and should lead to reducing the need for humanitarian aid”.
The total spent on foreign aid is set to drop from £14.1billion last year to just £9.4billion by 2028/29.
“We are concerned that slashing development aid will continue to lead to unrest and further crises in the future, presenting a threat to UK security,” the committee’s MPs warned.
Meanwhile, on Reform’s proposed cuts, a Labour Party spokesman said: “Nigel Farage’s fantasy numbers don’t add up, and he’d leave British taxpayers footing a hefty bill.”
