A coalition of more than 100 charities has urged the government to reverse its decision to slash the foreign aid budget, warning it amounted to an attempt to “balance the books on the backs of the world’s most marginalised people”.
The charities – which include Save the Children UK, Oxfam GB, and Christian Aid – have written to the prime minister and Treasury warning the decision to cut the UK aid budget from 0.5% of GDP to 0.3% would “destroy Labour’s legacy on international development”.
The leaders of the non-governmental organisations, which also includes Action Aid UK and Islamic Relief, said they were “appalled” by the decision on the grounds it risked closing programmes that supported the most marginalised communities facing poverty, conflict and climate change.
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“As 138 leaders of the UK INGO sector, responding to urgent humanitarian emergencies and supporting global development, we are appalled by the recent announcement that UK aid will be cut to pay for defence spending,” the letter read.
“It is alarming that the UK is now following in the US’s footsteps and has accepted the false choice of cutting the already diminished UK aid to fund defence.
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“We implore you to reverse this decision before significant damage is done to both the UK’s development and humanitarian work and its global reputation.”
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In its manifesto, Labour said it was “committed to restoring development spending” to 0.7% of gross national income as “soon as fiscal circumstances allow” after it was reduced by the Tories following the COVID pandemic.
Sir Keir Starmer said the reduction in foreign aid was “not a renouncement I’m happy to make”, but added it was necessary to fund an increase in defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 in light of Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
Speaking at a press conference in Downing Street after he informed the Commons of his decision, the prime minister admitted the move was “accelerated” by Donald Trump taking office.
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The group of charities said that although they understood “the safety and security of the people of Britain should always be a priority”, using the UK aid budget to do this was “both strategically and morally wrong”.
“No government should balance its books on the backs of the world’s most marginalised people,” the NGO leaders added.
“This move will also destroy Labour’s legacy on international development and will leave your manifesto commitments and the government’s ambition to be a reliable development partner on the global stage in tatters.”
Labour’s decision to cut foreign aid follows a similar move in the US, where almost all workers are being pulled out of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) as part of Elon Musk’s efficiency drive.
The charities said the 90-day suspension had already had an impact across the sector.
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In South Africa, HIV vaccine trials have been halted, while in Uganda, HIV medicine has run out and food and shelter programmes in refugee camps have been terminated, they said.
At the press conference, Sir Keir denied Mr Trump was effectively setting UK government policy, saying the defence spending increase was “very much my decision” and he had been “arguing for some time” that Europe and the UK “needed to do more”.
The cut to foreign aid means around £6bn per year will be taken out of the aid budget, which amounts to a reduction in spending from 0.5% of GDP to 0.3%.
The Treasury has been approached for comment.
