EDM 925: Overseas aid budget

That this House notes with concern the Government’s announcement to significantly increase military spending at the expense of vital overseas development assistance and public services; believes that these are the wrong priorities for public investment and will make the world less safe and disproportionately impact the poorest, both at home and abroad; notes the year-on-year increase for defence spending since 2016; further notes the 2023-24 Infrastructure and Projects Authority report which assesses as unachievable the Ministry of Defence programme to replace Britain’s nuclear weapons, due to sustained delays and cost overruns; further believes the billions of pounds allocated to this programme are a waste of public funds; and calls on the Government to reverse its plans to increase defence spending and instead redirect funding into public services, international development, and climate action to build a safer, fairer, and more sustainable future for all.