Friends dismayed by military spending hike
‘Pursuing a lasting peace is not a priority for this government.’ - John Cooper of The Fellowship of Reconciliation
Quakers have strongly criticised the government’s decision to increase military spending at the expense of international aid.
The Fellowship of Reconciliation (FoR) expressed ‘dismay’ at the announcement last week that the government will increase military spending to two and half per cent of GDP by 2027, by slashing the aid budget by forty per cent. ‘Today’s statement demonstrates that pursuing a lasting peace is not currently a priority for this government,’ John Cooper, director of the Quaker-founded FoR, said. ‘Announcing an increase in military spending before the security review concludes and reports is about political posturing and shows the hollowness of an arbitrary target for military spending. Long-term studies have shown it’s inconclusive that increased investment in military spending delivers economic growth at home. Whereas increased arms spending races lead to a further destabilised world through increased weapons and major contributions to climate change. Meanwhile, cutting international development, which had already been cut in the last parliament, shows a disregard for the world’s poor, and ignores the importance of tackling poverty to lay foundations for peace and building goodwill in a constantly moving world.’
Britain Yearly Meeting (BYM) also said that it was ‘deeply concerned’ by the prime minister’s announcement. ‘The decision to cut aid to 0.3 per cent of GNI will not make the UK safer,’ BYM said on the Quakers in Britain website. ‘On the contrary, it will feed future global insecurity, meaning the poorest people pay the highest price.’
Paul Parker, recording clerk for BYM, said the decision ‘literally takes money away from things that save lives and channels it to weapons that destroy them. From climate breakdown to pandemics, the last few years should have taught us that many of the most pressing problems we face can only be tackled through international cooperation, not by arming ourselves to the teeth.
‘We recognise the challenges our leaders face. But we urge them to think more creatively about how we can work together to build a secure world through peaceful means.’
BYM added that the announcement comes at ‘a dire time’ as the US has frozen aid payments. ‘As one of the world’s wealthiest countries, and as a former imperial power, the UK has a moral responsibility to help address global injustices,’ it said.
