Former Army chiefs have criticised Sir Keir Starmer for cutting foreign aid in order to boost defence spending.

On the eve of last month’s successful visit to the White House, the Prime Minister announced the biggest rise in defence spending since the end of the Cold War, with a pledge to reach 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2027.

This came at a cost to the aid budget, which the Labour leader said would be slashed from 0.5 per cent of national income to 0.3 per cent over the same period.

General Lord Richards, the former Chief of Defence Staff, said that while it was “necessary” to increase defence spending, he did not agree with taking it from the aid budget which presented other problems.