• On June 11, the UK government confirmed projections for cost of housing refugees in the UK – taken out of the international aid budget – is £5.8 billion over three years
  
• Compounded by a 40% cut to overall Official Development Assistance (ODA), persistent domestic refugee costs mean Keir Starmer will deliver the biggest reduction in UK aid spent overseas – more than Margaret Thatcher, John Major, Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak
  
• He will be the first Labour Prime Minister since the 1970s, when full figures were first published, not to increase international aid investment

LONDON, UK – June 11, 2025 – The government confirmed today it will cut Official Development Assistance (ODA) spending from 0.5% to 0.3% of Gross National Income (GNI).

Projections for the cost of housing refugees in the UK, published as part of today’s spending review, are £5.8 billion over three years.

This persistently high cost of housing refugees in the UK – known as in-donor refugee costs (IDRCs) – is paid for out of the international aid budget. The ONE Campaign welcomed Chancellor Rachel Reeves’s announcement today that the government will end the use of hotels to accommodate asylum seekers in this parliament.

When IDRCs are factored in, new analysis shows Keir Starmer’s government plans to cut the share of GNI invested as aid in other countries by 28.5%, meaning it is on course to deliver the biggest real aid cut since the 1970s. 

As an average over their time in office, Margaret Thatcher reduced international aid by 19.4%, John Major by 13%, Boris Johnson by 27.2% and Rishi Sunak by 17.6%.

Every other Labour Prime Minister managed an average increase in international aid over the course of their time in office.

David Cameron, Conservative Prime Minister between 2010 and 2016, oversaw the largest average increase in real international aid, increasing the amount spent by 46.8%.

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

“Today’s spending review confirms the most significant retreat from the UK’s global responsibilities in decades. Not only is Keir Starmer the first Labour Prime Minister on record not to increase aid spending, but he is on course to deliver the most severe cut to aid investment in other countries in decades – going further than Thatcher, Major, Johnson or Sunak ever did.

“These aren’t just numbers on a spreadsheet. This will lead to preventable deaths, diseases spreading faster and children going without vaccines. Some of the world’s most vulnerable people will pay the price for this decision, and it makes Britain less safe and strong, too. 

“The Prime Minister still has time to choose a different path – one that reflects British values and safeguards Britain’s interests in an increasingly unstable and volatile world.”

-ENDS-

Notes to Editors:

Methodology

In February 2025, the government announced that Official Development Assistance (ODA) will be cut from 0.5% to 0.3% of Gross National Income (GNI) by 2027. This represents a 40% cut, equivalent to £6 billion.

When spending on in-donor refugee costs (IDRCs) are discounted from ODA figures, the figure for average aid investment spent outside of the UK was 0.41% of GNI when Labour entered office in 2024.

According to figures published today, the percentage of GNI spent on overseas aid will be 0.29% over the course of this parliament, representing a cut of 28.5%.

Impact of ODA 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. 

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