Responses to the UK government decision to reduce international aid

26 February 2025. Related: Early access.

Simon Collins, HIV i-Base

On 27 February 2025, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced that the international aid budget would drop from 0.5% to 0.3% of the UK gross national income (GNI). [1]

The following links are to notable rapid responses.

“Action for Global Health calls on the Prime Minister to immediately reverse today’s devastating announcement of the cut to UK aid spending from 0.5% of GNI to 0.3%, to prevent harming the lives of millions of people around the world and at home. Cutting the UK’s aid budget to increase defence spending is an extraordinarily short-sighted decision, and a destructive and dehumanising example of robbing Peter to pay Paul.” 

“We are stunned by this decision to cut the aid budget in order to increase military spending. It is a betrayal of the world’s most vulnerable children and the UK’s national interest.

By jeopardising the UK’s partnership with countries across the world and international organisations, it signals a withdrawal from efforts to tackle climate change, global poverty and inequality, and conflict and humanitarian needs. It will damage efforts to tackle global health needs and pandemics. It will add to economic instability internationally. The impacts will have direct consequences for children and families in the UK as well as around the world.”

“Starmer’s announcement today is politics at its most base. To appease Trump, he will cut aid to its lowest level in a generation, forcing the poorest to pay so he can push taxpayer money into the coffers of arms corporations. There are numerous policies the government could take to avoid this – from a wealth tax on the super-rich to scrapping white elephants like Trident. Instead, Starmer has taken it from the mouths of the hungriest people in the world. It is a day of shame for Britain.”

References

Devex. UK will slash billions in aid spending to fund larger military. (25 February 2025).
https://www.devex.com/news/uk-will-slash-billions-in-aid-spending-to-fund-larger-military-109494

Links to other websites are current at date of posting but not maintained.