New national security bill risks making ‘one of the most dangerous times for aid workers in history worse’

The government has been called on to take action to protect those undertaking aid work from prosecution under a new national security bill, during what one leading MP described as “one of the most dangerous times in history for humanitarian workers”.

The legislation, designed to strengthen the UK’s response to hostile state activity, has sparked warnings from charities that it could wrongly criminalize legitimate humanitarian aid in areas controlled by sanctioned individuals or organisations.

Sarah Champion, Labor chair of Parliament’s International Development Committee, welcomed the changes to the legislation following the points raised, including the privilege to provide explicit defense to humanitarian organisations, but warned they fell short of addressing the legal risks faced by charities operating in conflict zones.

As the National Security (State Threats) Bill returned to the House of Commons for debate, Ms Champion said: “We are already in one of the most dangerous times in history for humanitarian workers and we must ensure the government does not make things worse.”

“I implore the government to take further action to ensure we avoid this situation, which could have a chilling effect on the activities of humanitarian organisations.”

Ms Champion said she had written to Home Affairs Minister Shabana Mahmood before the bill’s early stages, warning that new crimes “could have unintended consequences” for the delivery of humanitarian aid in complex environments.

He said the International Development Committee had also raised the issue during House of Commons debates and was working with colleagues to pressure the government to change the law.

Last year, the committee concluded that aid workers should not face “unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles or legal risks and uncertainties” simply to provide humanitarian aid.

The government argued that the current amendments to the bill strike the right balance between protecting national security and ensuring that legitimate humanitarian activities can continue unimpeded.

The renewed intervention comes as ministers seek to reassure the international development sector that the UK will continue activities abroad despite significant cuts to the aid budget, meaning international partnerships and organizations are prioritized over direct country-to-country aid.

Writing for think tank Chatham House, Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said the UK should remain an “international champion” on humanitarian crises, development and climate change, even “where budgets are lower”.

He argued that the UK should continue to support fragile and conflict-affected states, while also reshaping its development policy to treat countries as investment partners “so they can go beyond aid”.

“The world is more dangerous than it has been in decades, and families across the UK are feeling the impact,” he said, adding that we face a storm of geopolitical instability, economic pressure, artificial intelligence and climate change that is likely to worsen.

“As the world changes, we can be a principled architect of the next step, realistic in the face of challenges but determined to shape the world for the better,” he said. “This is how we make our country safer, our economy stronger and our people safer.”

Responding to Ms Cooper’s article, Romilly Greenhill, chief executive of UK Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) network Bond, said:

“The Foreign Secretary is right to highlight the UK’s role in responding to increasing threats to global stability and to reaffirm the values ​​of multilateralism, justice and humanitarianism that underpin this.

“Defence, diplomacy and development are three legs of the same stool: together they protect people at home and abroad from insecurity and uncertainty. We cannot build lasting peace while cutting UK aid programs that prevent conflicts from taking root in the first place.”

“If the UK government is serious about restoring its reputation on the global stage… it must demonstrate the same commitment to international development as it does to diplomacy and defence, and place strong leadership at the heart of government.”

This article was produced as part of The Independent. Rethinking Global Aid project