Ahead of Defence Investment Plan, Bond warns cutting UK aid to fund defence would be a false economy

As the Prime Minister prepares to set out the UK Government’s Defence Investment Plan, today, Tuesday 30th June, Gideon Rabinowitz, Director of Policy and Advocacy at Bond, the UK network for NGOs, said:

“Keeping communities at home and abroad safe cannot rely on defence spending alone. The conflicts that threaten global peace and force people to flee their homes are often rooted in poverty, inequality, and fragility. UK aid saves lives and addresses the underlying drivers of instability, reducing the conditions that allow conflict and insecurity to take hold.

By investing in measures to prevent conflicts from breaking out in the first place, we can save British taxpayers money in the long run. That is why senior former military chiefs are right to warn that cutting the UK aid budget to fund an increase in defence spending is a “false economy” that would diminish the UK’s valuable soft power and legitimacy on the global stage. The next Prime Minister should see international development and humanitarian assistance as essential tools for building a safer, more stable world that ultimately makes us all more secure.”

ENDS.

1. The UK Government is due to set out its Defence Investment Plan today, Tuesday 30th June 2026.
2. In May 2026, 51 senior former military chiefs warned that cutting UK aid to fund defence would be a ‘false economy’.
3. For further information or interviews, please contact Emily Loynes at [email protected]
4. Bond unites and supports a diverse network of over 330 civil society organisations from across the UK, and allies to help eradicate global poverty, inequality and injustice.