So the Aid budget is cut to fund the defence budget. Of course as a liberal green voter on the left I am not keen on this, but Trump must not be allowed to destroy Europe! If Trump cuts the defence of Europe then the retaliation must be to make American firms pay their taxes. Putin must not be allowed to exert his influence over Eastern Europe.
Cutting the aid budget could be counter productive – Aid is is a minor way of addressing the disparity in wealth around the world. Will migration increase with greater wealth inequalities. Aid is also a simplistic generalisation for a myriad of projects from education and development to disaster relief. The big IF here is that if it was worth spending on Aid in the first place, it is still worth it today. Just as Labour needs to ignore those claiming that we should cut back on our Net Zero commitments, the government should stand firm on this. National Health England is to cut many of its 13000 jobs. I suspect there are many more admin style cuts to come in many areas. Local councils employ chief executives at inflated salaries whhen much of their work is out sourced. Schools are the same – Heads out source everything from meals to trips, so why pay them so much? It seems that we have a duplication of roles by Whitehall and local government and even schools. Just because funding for schools is largely central government, that does not need micromanagement of the individual finances. Why does any head teacher need to be paid more than the Prime Minister. If it can be justified by work load or pressure/responsibility – then the system is wrong.
Major hair cut was overdue, and the birds need nesting material! But it is cold without a hat!