Abstract Motivation In 2020, the UK merged the Department for International Development (DFID) with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), as the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). This policy move strengthens the trend to securitize development, whereby the provision of aid is motivated by national security concerns. Purpose Many researchers have raised concerns about the securitization of aid and its consequences for development, but little research has examined its impact on aid‐recipient countries. Approach…