UK to focus reduced aid budget on conflict-hit countries, cuts funding for Africa

LONDON, March 19 - Britain said on Thursday it would scale back international aid funding across much of Africa and prioritise countries affected by conflict, highlighting the impact of last year's decision to cut development spending and use the money on defence instead. Read more at straitstimes.com.

LONDON, March 19 - Britain said on Thursday it would scale back international aid funding across much of Africa and prioritise countries affected by conflict, highlighting the impact of last year's decision to cut development spending and use the money on defence instead.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer, under pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump to ramp up defence spending, stunned humanitarian charities in February 2025 when he said the aid budget would be cut to 0.3% of gross national income (GNI) from 0.5% to fund an increase to the defence budget.

Setting out the first round of spending allocations affected by that decision, Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said funding for Sudan, Ukraine, Lebanon and the Palestinian territories would be protected.

Britain plans to spend approximately 1.4 billion pounds ($1.86 billion) each year in the places with the highest humanitarian need over the next three years.

"That does mean that direct bilateral aid funding for other countries will be reduced," Cooper told parliament, adding the government would phase out bilateral aid to G20 countries, except for Turkey, which hosts a large refugee population.

She said aid to Africa and the Middle East would be reduced, noting that while countries such as Somalia and Yemen remained priorities, they would face cuts to direct grants.