Charities sector bodies have responded to Keir Starmer’s announcement that he will resign as prime minister, praising him for his work to improve relations with the sector but criticising aid spending cuts.
Starmer announced this morning that he would ask his party’s national executive committee to ensure a new leader is in place before parliament returns in September.
After growing pressure to step down was compounded last week by potential successor Andy Burnham’s election as an MP, Starmer said outside Downing Street today that he accepted that his Labour colleagues no longer believe he is placed to lead them into the next general election.
“Every decision I’ve taken has been about putting the country I love first,” he said. “That is why I will resign as leader of the Labour Party.”
Praise for covenant
Charity membership bodies highlighted Starmer’s work on “resetting” the relationship between the state and the sector through the Civil Society Covenant, published last July.
Jane Ide, chief executive of charity leaders’ membership body ACEVO, said: “I am particularly grateful for his recognition of the vital role that civil society plays in strengthening communities and improving lives, reflected in his personal and sustained commitment to the Civil Society Covenant and the partnership it represents between government and civil society.”
Ide said Starmer’s replacement would face a challenge to tackle “division, distrust and increasingly polarised views” and said that charities played an important role in “creating opportunities for people to come together around shared goals and common values”.
“I hope our next prime minister continues to recognise the immense value of civil society and directs their government at every level to work alongside its leaders, in partnership, to help realise a shared vision for the country, strengthen social cohesion and harness the power of communities to combat the forces of division that threaten to pull us apart,” she said.
Clare Mills, Co-CEO of the Charity Finance Group, said the covenant, launched last July, represents “a genuine reset in the relationship between government and our sector”.
“This matters now more than ever as civil society navigates one of the most challenging periods any of us can remember: doing more with less, falling public donations, and continued challenges around the economy, on top of community divisions and rapid technological change,” she said.
“In times like these, the partnership the covenant represents is essential, and whoever leads the next government must build on this foundation.
“The work is too important, and the need is too great to lose the vital progress we've made together.”
Aid cuts criticised
International development charities criticised Starmer’s reduction of the aid budget from 0.5% to 0.3% during his tenure, despite indicating plans to increase it to 0.7% prior to his election.
Romilly Greenhill, CEO of NGO umbrella body Bond said: “Regrettably, Sir Keir Starmer will be remembered alongside Boris Johnson as the second prime minister to slash the UK aid budget in this decade: the deepest ever cuts to UK aid.
“This short-sighted political choice has left communities around the world – and here at home – more vulnerable to the impacts of conflict, disease and climate crisis, breaks election promises, and undermines the UK’s international standing.
“At a time of increasing global challenges, from conflicts to climate crisis, the UK’s role on the world stage is now more important than ever. Failing to honour manifesto promises erodes the public’s trust, and weakens the government’s credibility at home and abroad.
“We urge the next prime minister to act urgently on Labour’s commitment to restore the UK’s reputation as an ambitious, reliable, and equitable development partner, reverse the aid cuts, and seize the opportunity provided by the UK’s upcoming G20 presidency to step up on the global reforms needed build a safer, healthier and more equal world.”
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