Exclusive: Campaigners say slashing overseas aid would leave UK unable to meet existing commitments
Plans by Reform UK to slash the aid budget by 90% would not cover existing contributions to global bodies such as the UN and World Bank, shredding Britain’s international influence and risking its standing within those organisations, charities and other parties have warned.
Under cuts announced by Nigel Farage in November, overseas aid would be capped at £1bn a year, or about 0.03% of GDP. Keir Starmer’s government is already set to reduce aid from 0.5% of GDP to 0.3% by 2027, but even that lower proportion would still amount to £9bn a year.
If a Reform government attempted to cut aid to £1bn, it would involve cutting back existing multi-year commitments to organisations, as well as global efforts connected to vaccinations and other health initiatives.
Multilateral overseas aid totalled £2.8bn in 2024, the most recent year for which detailed figures are available.
