LONDON, UK – 9 May 2025 – The ONE Campaign has written to the UK government asking it to explain and justify the legality of its decision to reduce international aid spending from 0.5% to 0.3% of Gross National Income (GNI).

The letter, and the Government’s response to it, are necessary initial steps prior to consideration of any application for judicial review of the Government’s decision to cut Official Development Assistance (ODA) by 40%. The ONE Campaign said it will consider all options depending on the government response.

Under the International Development (Official Development Assistance Target) Act 2015, the UK is legally bound to allocate 0.7% of GNI to aid. 

The previous government cut ODA to 0.5% in 2021, citing the exceptional circumstances of the Covid pandemic.

On 25 February 2025, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced a further cut to ODA spending, to 0.3% of GNI to fund an increase in defence spending in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The pre-action letter, filed by leading public law firm Bates Wells on behalf of ONE, argues the Government has not suggested that it expects either that geopolitical volatility, or the UK’s “enduring support for Ukraine”, to be temporary. Rather than a short-term solution, the ONE Campaign said the cut was a “strategic realignment of spending priorities”.

Its letter reads: “The Decision has accordingly not been justified as a temporary response to an emergency need, but rather as a strategic realignment of spending priorities, based on developments that have been building over several years and are expected to continue indefinitely. It is a decision to change the target in substance. No plan has been set out to redirect funding from defence back to aid over the short- or even medium-term, and the government has given no indication of how else a restoration of the 0.7% Target might be funded.” 

“The government has made it clear… that it has no intention of meeting the target for at least the rest of the Parliament. The Secretary of State is not claiming, as his predecessor did, to see ‘a path back to 0.7% in the foreseeable, immediate future’ – indeed he has taken no steps to set out such a path, despite the requirements of the 2015 Act.”

The ONE Campaign also requested the Government justify its actions and disclose any assessments it has made into the humanitarian consequences of the aid cuts.

The ONE Campaign’s analysis estimates that the £6 billion (40%) cut to UK aid could result in:

• 600,000 fewer lives saved, due to reduced funding for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria – roughly the population of Glasgow
  
• 37 million children missing out on vaccinations for diseases like measles and polio through Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance – more than double the number of children in the UK
  
• 290,000 schoolchildren losing access to food assistance provided by the World Food Programme
  

Adrian Lovett, UK Executive Director of the ONE Campaign, said:

“This cut to lifesaving UK aid is not just morally indefensible and harmful to Britain’s own interests, it is legally questionable. In 2015, Parliament passed a law requiring the UK to spend 0.7% of GNI on aid, with support across the political spectrum. It was intended to set that as a benchmark, putting lifesaving aid above the fray of party politics and day-to-day spending pressures. But the Government has treated 0.7% as an optional, aspirational target rather than a binding commitment.

“The Government must explain its justification for this decision, set out its understanding of the likely impact – including risk to life – and outline a path back to the 0.7% target, which remains the Prime Minister’s stated policy.

“Around the world, the damage caused by international aid cuts is already being felt. Emergency food has been withdrawn, children are missing out on education, and vaccination programmes are being disrupted. These life-and-death decisions must be made transparently and lawfully.”

Lisa Wise, Director of Global Policy, Advocacy & Research at Save the Children UK, said: 

“We welcome this legal exploration of the UK Government’s decision to slash UK aid, which will take the amount being spent to help the world’s most vulnerable people overseas to a historic low. This was a knee jerk decision taken by the Prime Minister without proper scrutiny. This change means that UK aid will directly support over 60 million fewer people per year than in 2019, in areas such as education, humanitarian assistance, nutrition, family planning, water and sanitation. We must explore all options to stop these cuts.”

-ENDS-

About The ONE Campaign:  

ONE is a global, nonpartisan organisation advocating for the investments needed to create economic opportunities and healthier lives in Africa. Our trusted advocacy uses hard-hitting data, grassroots activism, political engagement, and strategic partnerships to influence decision-makers. Learn more at One.org

Contact: Ben Weich, Senior UK Media Manager
[email protected] / 07792 667 241