SW News: The UK Government's Spring Budget, which gives military spending the upper hand over humanitarian aid to underdeveloped nations, has angered Church relief organizations in Britain.

The budget, which the Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt presented to the Commons last week, includes a commitment to increase the defense budget by £11 billion over the next five years, or nearly 2.25 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP).

According to Cafod, the Agency for Overseas Development of the Bishops' Conference of England and Wales (CBCEW), spending £11 billion more on the military is unforgivable when millions face famine in East Africa.
An open letter from the Friends of Cafod All-Party Parliamentary Group was sent to the government on March 14 which called for more action in East Africa, where millions of people are already experiencing food insecurity at crisis levels as a result of war and climate change.

Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, South Sudan, and Kenya are among those affected. The letter noted that the UK's current contribution to the region of £156 million is 80% less than what it gave during a drought six years ago, according to The Tablet.

A recent poll commissioned by Christian Aid found that 53% of British citizens believe the UK should take the lead in delivering humanitarian help and fostering peace in nations that are experiencing crises.
In direct breach of its international agreements to regulate its arms shipments to regimes operating illegally and repressively, Christian Aid accused Britain of being complicit in the conflict in Yemen.

It also said that the UK now spends over £37 billion on its military, or nearly £600 per person per year, or three times as much on the military as it does on aid, in “Resourcing war and peace: Time to address the UK Government's double standards.”

The report adds that around two billion people live in countries affected by fragility, conflict, and violence. These countries typically have the highest poverty rates and are often seemingly trapped in endless cycles of violence and conflict. Human development cannot be achieved without tackling violence and building peace. The failure to address violence and conflict has immense consequences on the world today.