Reform UK’s Home Affairs Spokesman Zia Yusuf has launched a blistering attack on the “eye-watering” £250 billion foreign aid bill handed out over the past two decades, warning that Britons are “NOT safe” while the UK’s defence capabilities are being dangerously hollowed out.
Zia Yusuf: £250 Billion Could Have Bought Serious Military Hardware
Speaking to GB News, Mr Yusuf highlighted the staggering sums directed overseas by both Conservative and Labour administrations instead of being spent on Britain’s Armed Forces. “A quarter of a trillion pounds — the numbers are eye-watering,” he said.
“Imagine what kind of military hardware we could purchase for that? Imagine the state of readiness we could have in our troops, in our Navy and special forces and our Air Force if that money had been spent on hard power instead of this insane concept of soft power?”
Reform Slams Tories’ Record on Defence and Welfare
Mr Yusuf accused the Conservatives of slashing defence spending from 2.7 per cent of GDP while allowing the welfare bill to balloon. He told GB News: “They took defence spending percentage of GDP down from 2.7 per cent, crushed the number of troops this country has and hollowed out our military so that we can’t even deploy a destroyer on any sensible time frame.”
The Reform spokesman argued the Tories pursued the exact opposite of what Britain needed — expanding welfare while undermining military capability.
Reform First to Call for 3%+ Defence Spending
Reform UK was the first major party to demand three per cent of GDP on defence even before the last general election. Mr Yusuf said the figure may need to go even higher: “I think ultimately it’s going to have to go even above that.”
He stressed that economic growth would be essential to fund such ambitious military commitments, with Reform committed to “rebuilding and rearming the nation” under Nigel Farage’s leadership.
- £250 billion foreign aid spent over two decades by Tory and Labour governments
- Defence spending cut from 2.7% to lower levels under Conservatives
- Army reduced and Navy hollowed out — unable to deploy destroyers promptly
- Reform first to demand 3%+ of GDP on defence
- Britons “not safe” due to prioritising soft power over hard power
Zia Yusuf Hits Out at Kemi Badenoch and Labour
Mr Yusuf accused Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch of trying to rewrite her party’s record: “Kemi Badenoch is sort of going around creating an entirely new Tory manifesto, which literally just entails reversing all of the things they did in their 14 years in Government.”
He reserved particular criticism for the current Labour Government, saying its approach to defence and foreign aid leaves Britain vulnerable as threats mount.
Reform’s Message: Ruthlessly Prioritise British Interests
Mr Yusuf declared: “Enough of this. What Reform have said is that we’re living in an era now where it’s hard power that matters and we’ve got to look out ruthlessly for the British people’s interests and make people safe in this country. They’re not safe at the moment for obvious reasons, so we think Britain needs to rebuild, rearm and compete on the world stage. That’s what Nigel will do as Prime Minister.”
Ties Into Lord Robertson’s “Corrosive Complacency” Warning
The comments come after former Nato secretary-general Lord George Robertson accused Sir Keir Starmer of “corrosive complacency” and warned Britain’s national security is now “in peril”. Starmer has rejected the claims, but pressure is mounting on the Government to publish its delayed defence investment plan.
What This Means for Britain
Zia Yusuf’s intervention highlights Reform UK’s core argument: Britain cannot afford to spend hundreds of billions on foreign aid while its own defences are dangerously weak. With the Army at its smallest size in 200
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