The UK must stick to its spending pledge on international aid | Letter

That the UK might miss its 0.3% target on international development spending is rubbing salt into an open wound (Report, 26 October). The UK’s development budget, which tackles global challenges and is a lifeline to millions around the world, has been repeatedly cut over the past five years – it’s estimated that 62 million fewer people will be supported by UK aid around the world in 2026-27 compared with 2019.

When the Labour government announced it was cutting aid to 0.3% of gross national income, it committed to ensuring that this would be the floor, with the intention to increase funding again over time. This must hold true if the government is serious about rebuilding its international reputation. The government has instead used clever accounting techniques at the expense of communities around the world – and what it promised voters it would be spending their money on.

Currently, the government continues to use the official development assistance (ODA) budget on housing refugees in the UK. The government is absolutely right to be supporting refugees here in the UK, but we must review the choice to fund this from a constrained aid budget.

Recent rule changes mean that as the cost of housing refugees goes down, the money saved will not, however, go back to the development budget but be absorbed by the Treasury. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office should be the aid budget’s “spender of last resort”. This is a simple fix that will ensure millions of children around the world will not miss out on support due to the cuts, and means the money will be used for its original intention rather than plugging holes elsewhere.

Ensuring we meet our 0.3% floor is a major test of whether the government is serious about its commitment to international cooperation – it’s essential that it does all it can to pass it.
Callum Northcote
Head of global systems reform, Save the Children UK