The Government has committed more than £88 million in humanitarian and early recovery support for Palestinians in the current financial year, just as the British Army faces training cuts linked to a £30 million saving.
Ed Miliband announced the package at the UN General Assembly on Thursday. It combines previously announced support, including funding through UNRWA and the UN Horizon Fund, with new humanitarian funding, and covers people affected by the conflict in both Gaza and the West Bank.
The Foreign Secretary said: “It is vital that civilians in Gaza have unhindered access to aid.
“The UK is pledging a major new package of aid to provide much needed healthcare support to those desperately in need.
“We urge the Government of Israel to listen to our Call to Action and take steps to end its unacceptable restrictions on Gaza.”
The announcement followed what the Foreign Office describes as a reset of its approach to Israel and Palestine earlier this month. As part of that reset, Mr Miliband set out plans to ban imports of goods produced in illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, in coordination with France and Canada.
According to the Government, the £88 million package is expected to fund medical consultations for up to 900,000 people through UK-supported healthcare facilities, rehabilitation and prosthetic treatment for 1,000 children with blast injuries, solid waste management for up to 900,000 people, safe water through emergency water trucking for 150,000 people, and mental health and psychosocial support for 21,000 people.
Robert Jenrick, Reform UK’s Shadow Chancellor, said the money should be spent closer to home. “Scrap that,” he said. “Use the money to build a new hospital wing in Grimsby, not Gaza.”
The Army cuts were first reported by The Telegraph earlier this month. Live-fire and tank training has been temporarily suspended by the Army to save cash, with hundreds of troops in 3rd Division believed to be affected. One battalion in 12th Brigade was told that “all training” had stopped until at least April, according to sources.
Reserve commanding officers have also been told to find savings in the Reserves budget between now and the end of the year. The cuts are expected to mean a reduction of between four and six days of service per reservist on average.
Richard Thomson, National Director at the Great British PAC, said:
„This government just told the British Army to cancel vital training to save thirty million pounds. The same month it found eighty-eight million for Gaza.
Our soldiers — the men and women we expect to fight to defend our nation at a moments notice — are being stood down from live-fire drills, tank exercises, the training that keeps them sharp and ready to deploy.
A senior NATO commander called it a recipe for disaster. He’s right. Because this government is not focused on Britain. Pontificating and virtue signalling first. Domestic priorities and the British people second.
The British people do not want lectures on Gaza. They want their streets safe. Their borders held. Their Army ready. They want a government that protects this country and holds the people as their top priority.
You do not weaken your own military while the world gets more dangerous and then pretend you are serious about security.“
The decision has also drawn a public warning from a senior French commander. Lt Gen Benoît Desmeulles, the commander of France’s 1st Army Corps, said the savings were a “very, very bad” idea.
“I’m sad for my English friends,” he told The Telegraph. “We had the same a few years ago. It’s not a good thing. No training equals no ‘fight-tonight’ capacity. If we are not good at our job and we don’t have the equipment, that’s a recipe for disaster. So it’s a very bad thing.”
His corps, which includes British troops, would be one of Nato’s main forces in response to any Russian invasion of alliance territory.
Stuart Anderson, the Conservative shadow minister for war readiness, said: “I am particularly concerned about the Labour Government cutting the training budget for our Army, but when a senior French army commander warns that cutting British Army training is a ‘recipe for disaster’, this is as concerning as it is embarrassing.
“The first duty of any government is to defend the realm, yet Labour is cutting training to save £30m. This is short-sighted and foolish – we need a battle-ready Army. This is precisely the wrong decision by the Government. There will be a knock-on impact to war readiness over the coming years by cutting training now.”
The training cuts come as the Government faces wider questions over the timetable for increasing defence spending. John Healey, now Chancellor, resigned as Defence Secretary earlier this year after a dispute over the Government’s military spending plans. The Government has committed to reaching 3 per cent of GDP on defence in the next Parliament, when economic and fiscal conditions allow, but has not set a specific date. Separately, Britain has committed through Nato to spending 3.5 per cent of GDP on core defence by 2035. Official projections put Nato-qualifying defence spending at 2.7 per cent in 2027-28, with fuller delivery plans due at the next Spending Review. GOV.UK
Claire Bullivant, chief executive of Great British PAC, said:
“The first duty of government is to defend the realm. Yet ministers can find £88 million for Palestinian aid while cutting British Army training to save just £30 million.
“Helping innocent civilians is one thing, but cutting back our own defence capability to save money is reckless. Soldiers who cannot train cannot be battle-ready.
“At a time of growing global threats, cutting Army training to save £30 million sends completely the wrong message. Britain can be compassionate abroad without compromising our security at home. Britain cannot defend itself on goodwill. Defence of the realm must come first.”
The Army has been told to cut training to save £30 million. The Government’s Palestinian humanitarian package is worth more than £88 million.
