The United Kingdom has undermined its legal commitment to use aid to fight poverty over the last three “turbulent” years, a new study by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development has found.
A midterm review of performance since late 2020 — when the U.K.’s steep aid cuts were announced and its Department for International Development was axed — criticized the way billions of pounds have been diverted to the domestic costs of hosting refugees and a failure to provide accurate data.
OECD urges the government to cap domestic aid spending to “protect” the budget of the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office — as recommended almost one year ago by the U.K.’s own aid watchdog.