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Soft Power: Development Aid

Asked by Mr Angus MacDonaldLiberal DemocratMinistry of DefenceTabled Answered 13 March 2025UIN 36026

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that Britain's soft power (a) is maintained (b) continues to play a part in the defence of the UK and her allies, in the context of the reduction in ODA spending.

Answered by Luke Pollard

The Strategic Defence Review will set out the roles, capabilities and reforms required by UK Defence to meet the challenges, threats, and opportunities of the twenty first century. This takes account of the commitment to increase spending on defence to 2.5% of GDP from April 2027 recently set out by the Prime Minister in Parliament.

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