Exactly a year ago, two days before his first White House meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced the biggest cut to U.K. international assistance in history. Twelve months on, the evidence is in: The decision has failed on its own terms.
The manifesto-breaking reduction — around 40% in real terms, worth roughly £6 billion ($8.1 billion) a year — was devised by a small inner circle in Downing Street and rushed out ahead of the White House trip, justified as the price of higher defense spending.
Despite hardworking officials at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office trying to enact the decision in full without even more devastating consequences for human lives, the reductions now underway should be halted and subjected to a serious review before further damage is done.
About the author
Adrian Lovett
Adrian Lovett is the executive director for the United Kingdom, Middle East, and Asia Pacific at ONE. He has been instrumental in successful campaigns such as Make Poverty History and the Jubilee 2000 debt relief initiative, and has held leadership roles at Oxfam, Save the Children, and the World Wide Web Foundation.
