Starmer announces big cut to UK aid budget to boost defence spending
-PM confirms rise in military spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 – three years earlier than planned

斯塔默宣布大幅削减英国援助预算以增加国防开支
——首相证实，到2027年，军费开支将增加到GDP的2.5%，比计划提前了三年


(Starmer announces 'biggest sustained increase in defence spending since end of cold war'.)

（斯塔默宣布“自冷战结束以来最大的国防开支持续增长”。）
新闻：

Keir Starmer has announced drastic cuts to Britain’s international aid budget to help pay for a major increase in defence spending, amid fears over Donald Trump’s commitment to European security.

在人们对唐纳德·特朗普对欧洲安全的承诺感到担忧之际，凯尔·斯塔默宣布大幅削减英国的国际援助预算，以帮助支付大幅增加的国防开支。

The prime minister said the UK government would increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 – three years earlier than planned – as he prepared for what is likely to be a diplomatically fraught visit to Washington DC this week.

首相表示，到2027年，英国政府将把国防开支增加到GDP的2.5%——比原计划提前了三年——他正在为本周可能充满外交问题的华盛顿之行做准备。
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Starmer also announced an ambition to increase defence spending to 3% during the next parliament, saying that “tyrants” such as Vladimir Putin would respond only to strength and that the UK must respond to the changing picture on Ukraine since Trump came to power.

斯塔默还宣布了在下一届议会期间将国防开支增加到3%的雄心，他说弗拉基米尔·普京等“暴君”只会对实力做出反应，而英国必须对特朗普上台以来乌克兰局势的变化做出反应。

However, the prime minister confirmed that the rise – about £13.4bn more every year from 2027 – would be paid for by a “painful choice” to cut the aid budget, from 0.5% to 0.3% of GDP. The move has been met with fury from some Labour MPs and the development sector.

然而，首相证实，从2027年起，每年增加约134亿英镑的增长将通过一个“痛苦的选择”来支付，即削减援助预算，从GDP的0.5%降至0.3%。此举遭到了一些工党议员和发展部门的愤怒。

“That is not an announcement I am happy to make,” Starmer told MPs. “We will do everything we can to return to a world where that is not the case, and rebuild a capability on development, but at times like this the defence and security of the British people must always come first.

斯塔默对议员们说：“这不是个我乐意宣布的消息。我们将尽我们所能，回到一个不是这样的世界，重建发展能力，但在这种时候，英国人民的防务和安全必须永远放在第一位。”

“That is the number one priority of this government.”

“这是本届政府的首要任务。”
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The Guardian first reported the prime minister’s plan just before he took to his feet in the Commons on Tuesday. He immediately announced a leak inquiry.

就在首相周二迈进下议院之前，《卫报》首先报道了他的计划。他立即宣布展开泄密调查。

The total budget for defence spending, including the intelligence services, will amount to a 2.6% share of the economy from 2027, which remains some way short of the 3.4% the US spends on defence, making it the third-largest contributor to Nato last year after Poland and Estonia.

从2027年起，包括情报服务在内的国防支出总预算将占经济的2.6%，与美国3.4%的国防支出相比仍有一定差距，使其成为去年仅次于波兰和爱沙尼亚的北约第三大贡献者。

“We must change our national security posture, because a generational challenge requires a generational response,” Starmer told MPs. “That will demand some extremely difficult and painful choices.”

斯塔默对议员们说：“我们必须改变我们的国家安全态势，因为一代人的挑战需要一代人的回应。这将需要做出一些极其困难和痛苦的选择。”

The prime minister discussed the move with his cabinet before announcing it, officials said, and secured “agreement” before going ahead – though Downing Street would not say what the tone of the conversation had been.

官员们说，首相在宣布这一举动之前与内阁进行了讨论，并在行动之前达成了“协议”——尽管唐宁街不愿透露谈话的基调。

His visit to the White House, the second time he has met Trump, will take place days after the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, amid tensions after a UN vote and during a turbulent period in transatlantic relations.

他对白宫的访问是他第二次与特朗普会面，这次访问将在俄罗斯全面入侵乌克兰三周年之后的几天进行，正值一次（美国支持俄罗斯的）联合国投票后的紧张局势和大西洋两岸关系动荡时期。

It will be the biggest test yet of his diplomatic and negotiating skills, as he tries to balance the UK’s security and economic interests with retaining good relations with the unpredictable president, who has repeatedly pushed for Europe to increase defence spending.

这将是对他的外交和谈判技巧的最大考验，因为他试图在英国的安全和经济利益，与和这位反复推动欧洲增加国防开支的不可预测的总统保持良好关系之间取得平衡。

Starmer has come under sustained pressure to rapidly lift defence spending even further than Labour’s manifesto pledge of a rise to 2.5%, after he said the UK would “play its full part” in deploying troops to Ukraine for a peacekeeping force in the event of a durable deal after Russia’s invasion.

斯塔默面临着持续的压力，要求他迅速提高国防开支，甚至超过工党在宣言中承诺的将国防开支提高到2.5%的水平，此前他表示，如果俄罗斯入侵乌克兰后达成持久协议，英国将“充分发挥其作用”，向乌克兰部署维和部队。

Defence sources have said that an increase of at least £13.4bn a year to 2.5%, from 2.3%, would still be far short of what is required to rebuild and transform the armed forces.

国防部消息人士表示，每年至少增加134亿英镑，从2.3%增加到2.5%，仍然远远不足以重建和改造武装部队。

They have stressed that an ultimate rise to at least 3% of GDP would be necessary in order to help boost military capability after Trump’s administration said it was scaling back US support from Ukraine.

他们强调，在特朗普政府表示将缩减美国对乌克兰的支持后，为了帮助提高军事能力，最终将军费至少提高到GDP的3%是必要的。

There were questions over whether the increase would in fact mean £13.4bn more a year for defence a year, when economists said that a 0.2% rise, funded by aid cuts, would provide only an extra £6bn.

这一增长是否意味着国防开支每年增加134亿英镑，这是有疑问的，因为经济学家说，由削减援助资金提供的0.2%的增长，只会提供额外的60亿英镑。

Ben Zaranko, an economist at the Institute of Fiscal Studies, said the higher figure was reached only if the defence budget was frozen between now and then, giving a lower baseline.

财政研究所的经济学家本·扎兰科表示，只有在国防预算从现在到那时被冻结的情况下，才会达到更高的数字，这是一个较低的基线。

He said the methodology was “remarkably reminiscent” of the last government’s plan to increase defence spending to 2.5%, which was met with scepticism at the time.

他说，这种方法“非常容易让人想起”上届政府将国防开支增加到2.5%的计划，当时这一计划遭到了质疑。
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Labour had promised to raise the aid budget from 0.5% to 0.7% when “fiscal conditions allow”, and aides said that commitment remained in place. But, in recent weeks, officials have begun to look at cutting it instead as a way to help pay for defence.

工党曾承诺，在“财政状况允许的情况下”，将援助预算从0.5%提高到0.7%，助手们表示，这一承诺仍然存在。但是，最近几周，官员们已经开始考虑削减它，作为帮助支付国防费用的一种方式。

David Lammy, the foreign secretary, told the Guardian earlier this month that Trump’s plans to make dramatic cuts to the US’s international aid budget could be a “big strategic mistake” that would allow China to step in and extend its global influence.

外交大臣大卫·拉米本月早些时候告诉《卫报》，特朗普大幅削减美国国际援助预算的计划可能是一个“重大战略错误”，这将使中国得以介入并扩大其全球影响力。

The government will prioritise remaining aid funds on Ukraine, Sudan and Gaza, as well as on the climate crisis and through multilateral organisations, though officials said other programmes would also be allowed to continue.

政府将把剩余的援助资金优先用于乌克兰、苏丹和加沙，以及气候危机和通过多边组织，尽管官员们表示，其他项目也将被允许继续进行。
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Simon McDonald, a former head of the Foreign Office, has said such a move would damage Britain’s global reputation. However, domestic polling suggests cutting the aid budget could be popular with the type of voters inclined to back Reform UK who Labour needs to retain.

前外交大臣西蒙·麦克唐纳表示，此举将损害英国的全球声誉。然而，国内民意调查显示，削减援助预算可能会受到倾向于支持英国改革党的选民的欢迎，而工党需要留住这些选民。
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Sarah Champion, the Labour chair of the international development committee, said: “Aid and defence are lixed, but they build upon each other to keep everyone safe. Cutting one to fund the other will have dire consequences for us all as it will make the world less stable.

工党国际发展委员会主席萨拉·钱皮恩表示：“援助和国防是联系在一起的，但它们是相互依存的，以保证每个人的安全。削减其中一个为另一个提供资金，将给我们所有人带来可怕的后果，因为这将使世界变得更不稳定。

“Conflict is an outcome of desperation, much better to support people around the world to feel safe, secure and prosperous than deal with the consequences. The deep irony is that development money can prevent wars and is used to patch up the consequences of them; cutting this support is counterproductive and I urge the government to rethink.”

“冲突是绝望的结果，支持世界各地的人们感到安全、有保障和繁荣比处理后果要好得多。具有深刻讽刺意味的是，发展资金可以防止战争，并用于弥补战争的后果；削减这种支持只会适得其反，我敦促政府重新考虑。”

Richard Dannatt, the former head of the British Army who previously urged the government to increase defence spending, said the boost was “a significant step in the right direction” that could ease Starmer’s conversations with Trump.

前英国陆军司令理查德·丹纳特此前曾敦促政府增加国防开支，他表示，这是“朝着正确方向迈出的重要一步”，可以缓解斯塔默与特朗普的对话。

However, Lord Dannatt told GB News: “In the wider world, it’s disappointing that we’re probably going to plunder the international development budget, because the UK’s influence in the world often comes through a combination of our hard power and our soft power, our diplomacy and our development funds. But priorities have to be established, and a priority that’s urgent now is spending more on defence.”

然而，丹纳特勋爵告诉英国广播公司新闻：“在更广阔的世界里，我们可能会掠夺国际发展预算，这令人失望，因为英国在世界上的影响力往往来自我们的硬实力和软实力、外交和发展基金的结合。但必须确定优先事项，目前最紧迫的优先事项是增加国防开支。”

Romilly Greenhill, the chief executive of Bond, which represents British aid organisations, said: “This is a shortsighted and appalling move by both the PM and Treasury. Slashing the already diminished UK aid budget to fund an uplift in defence is a reckless decision that will have devastating consequences for millions of marginalised people worldwide.

代表英国援助组织的Bond首席执行官罗米利·格林希尔表示：“这是首相和财政部的一个短视和骇人听闻的举动。削减本就已经减少的英国援助预算，以资助国防开支的增加，是一个鲁莽的决定，将给全球数百万边缘化人群带来毁灭性的后果。

“Following in the US’s footsteps will not only undermine the UK’s global commitments and credibility, but also weaken our own national security interests. Instead of stepping up, the UK is turning its back on communities facing poverty, conflict and insecurity, further damaging its credibility on the global stage.”

“步美国后尘不仅会损害英国的全球承诺和信誉，也会削弱我们自己的国家安全利益。英国非但没有采取行动，反而背弃了面临贫困、冲突和不安全的社区，进一步损害了其在全球舞台上的信誉。”

The Tory MP Andrew Mitchell, a former international development secretary, criticised Starmer’s plan as “short-sighted and damaging”.

前国际发展大臣、保守党议员安德鲁·米切尔批评斯塔默的计划“目光短浅，具有破坏性”。

He said: “Balancing the books on the backs of the poorest people in the world isn’t just wrong, it also makes the UK weaker and less secure. In taking this decision, the government risks cutting off its nose to spite its face.

他说：“拿世界上最贫穷的人来平衡收支不仅是错误的，还会让英国变得更弱、更不安全。政府作出这一决定，是在冒着自讨苦吃的风险。

“While there is an unanswerable case for increasing defence spending, the evidence shows that doing this at the expense of international aid increases health and security risks to the UK in the long run.”

“虽然增加国防开支有无可辩驳的理由，但证据表明，从长远来看，以牺牲国际援助为代价增加国防开支会增加英国的健康和安全风险。”