London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Sep 12, 2025

Theresa May: PM's foreign aid cut damaged UK's moral leadership, says successor

Theresa May: PM's foreign aid cut damaged UK's moral leadership, says successor

Theresa May has accused her successor Boris Johnson of "abandoning" the UK's moral leadership on the world stage.

The ex-prime minister said Mr Johnson's decision to cut the overseas aid budget below 0.7% of national income had reduced the UK's global "credibility".

She told the Daily Mail the UK had to "live up to its values" and would be judged by its actions not its rhetoric.

The PM, meanwhile, has said he is looking forward to working "hand in hand" with new US President Joe Biden.

Mr Biden will be inaugurated as the country's 46th president on Wednesday, succeeding Donald Trump.

In advance of the historic day, Mr Johnson said he hoped the UK and US would join forces to address the most pressing challenges facing the world, which could only be tackled by "international co-operation".

But the PM's own record has come in for criticism from his predecessor as prime minister.
In an interview with the Daily Mail, Mrs May suggested the PM had squandered international goodwill by choosing not to meet the longstanding UN target of spending 0.7% of income on helping the poorest people on the planet.

The government says it cannot meet the figure this year because of the strain placed on the public finances by the pandemic and the billions spent on financial support.

But Mrs May said the UK's support for the 0.7% target, which is enshrined into UK law, and the commitment to also spend a minimum of 2% of income on defence set it apart from other nations.

'What we do'


She also criticised Boris Johnson's support for legislation which would have called into question the UK's commitment to uphold its legally-binding Withdrawal Agreement with the EU, had it been passed.

While controversial clauses were ultimately removed from the Internal Market Bill in December, after the UK and EU reached an agreement, Mr Johnson's threat to break international law caused considerable disquiet on the continent and in the US - where it led to warnings from Mr Biden against imperilling peace in Northern Ireland.


Mrs May said more compromise was needed in the UK's post-Brexit relationships
Mrs May suggested the end of the Trump presidency could be a catalyst for a change in world politics

Mrs May said the UK was "well placed to play a decisive role in shaping this more co-operative world but to lead we must live up to our values".

"Threatening to break international law by going back on a treaty we had just signed and abandoning our position of global moral leadership as the only major economy to meet both the 2% defence spending target and the 0.7% international aid target were not actions which, in my view, raised our credibility in the eyes of the world.

"Other countries listen to what we say not simply because of who we are, but because of what we do. The world does not owe us a prominent place on its stage.

"Whatever the rhetoric we deploy, it is our actions which count. So, we should do nothing which signals a retreat from our global commitments."

Absolutism warning


Mrs May, who had a difficult relationship with Mr Trump, said Mr Biden's election presented the UK with a "golden opportunity" for Western democracies to reverse the trend towards "absolutism" in global affairs.

If the world was to bounce back from the pandemic, she said a spirit of compromise was needed and the era of a "few strongmen facing off against each other" had to come to an end.

2021 is seen as a pivotal year for the UK as it seeks to build its post-Brexit identity and deliver on the government's ambition of a "Global Britain" leading the world.

Mr Johnson, who will be centre stage as the UK holds the presidency of the G7 and hosts the Cop-26 UN climate summit in Glasgow, said he looked forward to welcoming Mr Biden to the UK at least twice this year.

"In our fight against Covid and across climate change, defence, security, and in promoting and defending democracy, our goals are the same and our nations will work hand in hand to achieve them," he added.

"Only through international co-operation can we truly overcome the shared challenges we face."

No 10 has declined to comment on Mrs May's comments.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Suspect Arrested: Utah Man in Custody for Charlie Kirk’s Fatal Shooting
In a politically motivated trial: Bolsonaro Sentenced to 27 Years for Plotting Coup After 2022 Defeat
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
Pig Heads Left Outside Multiple Paris Mosques in Outrage-Inducing Acts
Nvidia’s ‘Wow’ Factor Is Fading. The AI chip giant used to beat Wall Street expectations for earnings by a substantial margin. That trajectory is coming down to earth.
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
On the Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s Death: Prince Harry Returns to Britain
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Murdoch Family Finalises $3.3 Billion Succession Pact, Ensuring Eldest Son’s Leadership
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Court Staff Cover Up Banksy Image of Judge Beating a Protester
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
Elon Musk Poised to Become First Trillionaire Under Ambitious Tesla Pay Plan
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
Burning the Minister’s House Helped Protesters to Win Justice: Prabowo Fires Finance Minister in Wake of Indonesia Protests
Brazil Braces for Fallout from Bolsonaro Trial by corrupted judge
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
Nearly 40 Years Later: Nike Changes the Legendary Slogan Just Do It
Generations Born After 1939 Unlikely to Reach Age One Hundred, New Study Finds
End to a four-year manhunt in New Zealand: the father who abducted his children to the forests was killed, the three siblings were found
Germany Suspends Debt Rules, Funnels €500 Billion Toward Military and Proxy War Strategy
EU Prepares for War
BMW Eyes Growth in China with New All‑Electric Neue Klasse Lineup
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
US Justice Department Launches Criminal Mortgage-Fraud Probe into Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Escalating Drug Trafficking and Violence in Latin America: A Growing Crisis
×