Close to 100 charities condemn ‘devastating’ impact of a year of UK aid cuts

A year after Sir Keir Starmer announced cuts to Britain’s aid budget of up to 40 per cent, leaders of dozens of aid agencies have warned that the “devastating” consequences of the cuts are being felt in some of the world’s most vulnerable corners.

Last February, the prime minister confirmed that the UK’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) would fall from 0.5 per cent of gross national income to 0.3 per cent by the end of 2027; this was a justified move to help fund higher defense spending in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

But in a joint statement to mark the anniversary, 93 leaders from the UK’s international NGO sector said families in war-torn areas are losing access to shelter, food and clean water, and life-saving health and reproductive programs in Africa and Asia are at risk of closure.

“As leaders of the UK INGO sector, we write to mark this terrible anniversary and the devastating effects of last year’s cuts, and call on the UK government to re-establish the UK’s position as a principled, reliable and assertive development partner,” the group said. “Last year, we witnessed firsthand the consequences of these short-term disruptions.”

Romilly Greenhill, chief executive of UK NGO network Bond, said that over the past 12 months: “They have left more people without basic access to water, sanitation and shelter, while leaving us all vulnerable to a world of more disease, conflict and climate disaster.”

The value of the outage is around £6bn The last time this aid was provided was in 1999, when approximately 600 million people around the world faced chronic hunger, and today approximately 735 million people face chronic hunger.

government’s own Equalities impact assessment for 2025-26 reductions It found that women and girls, people with disabilities, children and communities will be most affected by conflict. Rose Caldwell, chief executive of Plan International UK, which focuses on the rights of children around the world, said: “The UK’s decision to cut aid a year ago was a devastating blow to children who already face increasing challenges from climate change and conflict, disrupting their childhood and learning. We know from both experience and the government’s own assessment that it is women and girls who suffer most when aid is cut.”

“Unfortunately, we are seeing efforts to erode the hard-won rights of children, especially girls, gaining ground,” Ms. Caldwell said. he added. “At this critical time, the UK must stand up for the futures of women and girls around the world.”

The ONE Campaign estimates that cuts announced at global vaccine alliance Gavi and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria could cost 620,000 lives in total. Adrian Lovett, the group’s UK managing director, said the cuts “failed on their own terms”.

“They didn’t close the huge gap in the defense budget or make Labor more popular with voters, many of whom supported investment in life-saving health programs in other countries,” he said.

IndependentAlongside a coalition of MPs and charities, he called on the prime minister to protect HIV funding and help end the AIDS epidemic by 2030.

A recent analysis by the Center for Global Development shows that the UK is on track to reduce its aid budget faster than the US. UK ODA projects are forecast to fall by around 27 per cent between 2024-25 and 2026-27 after Congress softened some of Donald Trump’s proposed cuts. It is estimated that there will be a 23 percent decrease in US development expenditures during the same period. The US president returned to the White House in January last year and immediately cut his country’s aid spending.

For many in the aid sector, the damage is now not just financial but also reputational. “The UK’s withdrawal from the international development agenda would reverse hard-won progress and undermine our credibility and influence on the global stage,” Ms Greenhill said.

With the UK entering global development and finance debates this year, Ms Greenhill called on ministers to reverse the cuts and ensure poverty reduction remains at the heart of UK aid policy.

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