The Conservative Party has announced proposals to cut the UK aid budget further, which NGO umbrella body Bond has described as “reckless, short-sighted, and morally indefensible”.
Today, shadow chancellor Mel Stride announced the party’s policy to reduce the official development assistance (ODA) budget to 0.1% of gross national income (GNI), should it win the next election.
Stride’s pledge comes after Labour prime minister Keir Starmer announced in February a cut to the ODA from current levels of 0.5% of GNI to 0.3% from 2027, which was similarly condemned by Bond and others.
According to a research briefing, “reducing the aid target to 0.3% of GNI would mean that the aid budget in 2027 would be around £9.2bn”, down from £15.3bn in 2023.
Some NGOs, including World Vision and the Zoological Society of London, have cited the UK and USA’s recent aid funding cuts in their decisions to cut staff numbers.
‘Irresponsible decision’
Speaking at his party’s conference in Manchester, Stride said: “The civil service is too large. In 2016, there were 384,000 civil servants. Today, there are 517,000. We’ll bring the numbers back down, saving £1 in every £4.
“And we simply cannot justify higher taxes at home to pay for more spending abroad. So, we’ll significantly reduce the overseas budget.”
Stride said the broader cuts he set out today would reduce the size of government by nearly £50bn.
In response to Stride’s ODA cut proposal, Bond’s CEO Romilly Greenhill said: “The Conservatives’ deplorable decision to slash the already diminished UK aid budget even further is reckless, short-sighted, and morally indefensible.
“It undermines our legal obligations and signals the Conservatives want the UK to retreat even further as a trusted global partner.
“Marginalised communities who’ve already borne the brunt of previous cuts will once again pay the price, particularly women and girls and those experiencing conflict.
“Cutting UK aid doesn’t make us stronger, it makes the world, and the UK, less safe.”
Greenhill added that slashing the UK aid budget even further will put the country’s long-term national security at risk “by dismantling the very systems that prevent the escalation of conflict, tackle the root causes of poverty and climate change, and protect us against future pandemics”.
“We urge the party to rethink this irresponsible decision,” she said.
FCDO committed to modernising its approach with less money
A spokesperson for the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office told Civil Society: “Our development spending is a strategic investment that contributes to a safer, more prosperous UK.
“Global challenges like conflict, global health, the climate crisis and poverty directly affect British lives, through irregular migration pressures, reduced trading opportunities and threats to our national security.
“To fund a necessary increase in defence spending, we’re reducing ODA spending to 0.3% of GNI by 2027.
“We’re committed to modernising our approach with less money: working with our partners in new ways to maximise our impact and provide value for money to taxpayers.”
