Forum Topic

Cuts to ODA budget

As a Borgen Project Ambassador and Putney constituent, I am writing to express my concern and repulsion at Labour’s announcement to slash the ODA’s foreign aid budget nearly in half (from 0.5% of gross national income to 0.3%). The latest round of cuts threatens to strip an estimated £150 million from programmes fighting tuberculosis, AIDS, and malaria—diseases that continue to kill millions and disproportionately affect the world’s poorest communities. These abhorrent cuts follow the dark path set out by Boris Johnson and Donald Trump, who’s governments slashed the ODA and USAID budgets, also resulting in massive global deaths from disease and hunger. I think it’s important to clear up a few common misconceptions around foreign aid spending. Surveys show that Britons routinely overestimate how much we spend on foreign aid, with many believing it accounts for 10% of national spending when, even at 0.7% (now 0.3%), it was less than a penny in the pound. In addition, there’s often a notion that foreign aid is a leftwing or progressive concept, in truth, both Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher strengthened development efforts, recognizing that stability abroad furthers security and prosperity at home. Wandsworth is proudly “the Brighter Borough” and “the Borough of Culture,” these slogans reflect our shared values of compassion, openness, and outward-looking values. Standing up for foreign aid means standing up for who we are. I’d like to commend my local MP, Fleur Anderson, for upholding these values through her work opposing these cuts and championing effective, life-saving development assistance. I encourage her to continue and urge her colleges to join in her courageous efforts.The Borgen Project works to ensure communities like ours speak up for smart, humane foreign policy. Wandsworth should continue to lead that effort.Oliver Lefferts

Oliver Lefferts ● 11h2 Comments

@GBWell countered response.  I will add a few points of my own - Mr Lefferts won't like them but here goes:1) The UK has spent hundreds x £billions on foreign aid in the past 30 years 2. For many years the U.K. was sending untold £millions to China, the 2nd largest economy in the world, and to India that had a space programme; the government actually said the country did not need our foreign aid money 3. There have been many reports over the years of foreign aid corruption and money embezzlement 4. Charity should begin at home======================================================AI overview: In the last 30 years (roughly 1995–2025), the UK has significantly increased its foreign aid, peaking with a 0.7% of GNI commitment from 2013 to 2020 before reducing to 0.5% in 2021. Total annual Official Development Assistance (ODA) rose from roughly £2-3 billion in the mid-1990s to over £15 billion by 2019, settling around £12.8–£15.3 billion in recent years. Key Findings on UK Foreign Aid (approx. 1995–2025):* Total Volume Trend: Aid grew substantially, particularly after 2005, and surged in 2013 when the UK met the 0.7% GNI target.* Significant Years: In 2019, aid peaked at £15.1 billion, dropped to £11.4 billion in 2021 due to the 0.5% reduction, and was £14.1 billion in 2024.* The 0.7% Commitment: The UK maintained 0.7% of GNI as aid from 2013 to 2020, becoming one of the few OECD countries to do so.* Policy Shift: Following the COVID-19 pandemic, the government reduced the target to 0.5% of GNI from 2021.* Spending Breakdown: In 2024, approximately £2.8 billion (a fifth of the budget) was spent on hosting asylum seekers within the UK.* Global Ranking: Despite reductions, the UK remained the 4th largest donor in absolute terms (US$) in 2023. Note: The exact cumulative total over 30 years requires precise annual data, but estimates based on the trends show total spending in the hundreds of millions of pounds sterling. Britain spent 1.45 billion pounds of its aid budget in 2024 on humanitarian assistance, a jump of nearly 65%. Ukraine, Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Syria and Somalia were the top five recipients of British aid.3 Nov 2025

Sue Hammond ● 4h

Thanks, Oliver, for your post which I fully agree with. Not only should we feel morally compelled to assist an enormous amount of people to fight off life threatening diseases, at such little cost to ourselves, but it also makes sense to try and enable people to stay where they are and build rewarding lives in successful communities, rather than joining the band of peoples undertaking perilous journeys across the globe.Even the Victorians understood the reciprocal benefits of helping those less fortunate. How have we let ourselves forget such important lessons? Let alone our ditching our sense of common humanity.Anyway, good post and good luck!

Gerry Boyce ● 10h