Today (Thursday, 31st March), the National Audit Office has released a report which looks at the decision to cut UK aid from 0.7% of National Income to 0.5%. The report found that the sudden nature of the decision meant that it compromised on strategic, long-term programmes, and put value for money of UK aid at risk.

Responding to the NAO report, Romilly Greenhill, UK Director of The ONE Campaign, said: “Cutting aid in such a clumsy way likely reduced value for money for the British taxpayer and undermined huge progress in the fight against poverty around the world.

“The way this decision was made meant there was insufficient transparency and abrupt ending of programmes that were meant to continue for years. This is not good for UK aid, and not good for the people aid is meant to support.

“As the number of global challenges increases, we are seeing a convergence of crises that demand a joined-up response. The reduced budget is going to seriously hamper any such response from the UK. The only way to ensure the UK is playing our part is for the Chancellor to reinstate the 0.7 target, and soon.”