Prioritise development not war, faith and humanitarian groups urge prime minister

The UK’s ratio of military to international development spending will reach almost nine-to-one this year: up from below four-to-one six years ago.

Funding for “development, diplomacy, peacebuilding, conflict and atrocity prevention” has been hit by increases in defence spending, a coalition of humanitarian and faith-based organisations has warned.

This follows outgoing prime minister Sir Keir Starmer’s plan to put an extra 15 billion pounds into the military, leaving a funding gap that his successor Andy Burnham will have to fill.

Starmer revealed his defence investment plan on Tuesday and said defence “must be the number one priority at the next spending review”.

He will travel to the Nato summit in Ankara, Turkey, next week, at which European leaders are expected to be pressured to pledge more funding for defence amid tensions with Donald Trump.

Cafod, Christian Aid, Christian Climate Action, Sciaf, and Pax Christi Scotland are among the signatories of a letter to Starmer and Burnham, urging them to “resist pressure” to “further entrench the UK in a war-orientated economy”.

Instead, the signatories said they must take “a more productive path where the UK commits itself to a cooperative, internationalist future in which it nurtures the skills, capacities and institutions required to build lasting and just peace, and stability in an uncertain world”.

“There is a clear public appetite for broader discussion on how to build a more secure, resilient and peaceful world, with many unconvinced by the prevalent ‘war-footing’ narrative and focus on rearmament,” the joint letter, organised by Quakers in Britain and Rethinking Security, said.

The letter cited recent polling, which suggests the public supports both peacebuilding and maintaining defence capacity at similar levels, but places even greater importance on climate action and international cooperation.

The signatories said the government’s current spending plans for this parliament already envisage military spending at its highest level since World War II in real terms, and the highest level in more than 30 years as a percentage of GDP.

The UK’s ratio of military to international development spending will reach almost nine-to-one, they warned: up from below four-to-one six years ago.

“At the same time, diplomatic, development, education and other ‘soft power’ capabilities face significant cuts, reducing the UK’s ability to analyse and engage effectively with global challenges,” they warned.

“This represents a staggering shift of public resources from potentially productive to destructive ends, at a time of intense humanitarian need.

“Sending such a powerful message that the UK and NATO are preparing for war, while already greatly outspending any rival, risks provoking comparable responses, making war more likely.”

They also noted that the UK’s nuclear spending is now the third highest in the world behind the US and China, considerably exceeding that of Russia.

“In addition to the legal and ethical implications, this represents a colossal opportunity cost to other public priorities, while remaining largely shielded from public and parliamentary scrutiny,” they said.

The organisations warned this is also an “opportunity cost” for the “potential to accelerate the transition to a low carbon future, embracing clean energy and investing in international climate finance”.

They cited a government assessment this year which showed that the risk to UK national and human security of environmental breakdown from biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse is highly likely and potentially catastrophic.

“Building a secure society means actively preparing for peace,” the letter concluded. “While we recognise current geopolitical tensions as well as the pressure on the UK government from its traditional allies, we believe that capabilities to build peace, sustainability and societal resilience should be reprioritised.

“The UK has previously shown leadership in areas such as peacebuilding, preventing sexual violence in conflict, support for global climate cooperation and international criminal justice; it is vital to renew and expand upon such commitments.”

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