26 March 2025 14:05 GMT

• Today the Chancellor announced a fast-tracking of cuts to Official Development Assistance (ODA) from 0.5% to 0.3% of national income

• Treasury documents show £500 million cut from aid budget in 2025/26 and £4.8 billion in 2026/27, delivering cuts faster than was announced by the Prime Minister last month

• ‘Chaotic and reckless’ decision taken without carrying out impact assessments of likely catastrophic fallout, says the ONE Campaign

London, UK – 26/03/25 – The ONE Campaign has criticised the government’s “chaotic and reckless” fast-tracking of aid cuts, warning that it will accelerate deaths, disease and hunger.

Adrian Lovett, UK Executive Director of ONE, said:

“Ministers previously advocated a ‘glide path’ to gradually-phased aid cuts. Today’s announcement means a nosedive towards disaster for some of the world’s most vulnerable people and a shattering of Britain’s reputation in the world.”

“The government is fast-tracking the deaths of 600,000 people, depriving 38 million children of life-saving vaccines and millions more of emergency food assistance.”

“A majority of the public – and Labour voters especially – do not support these Trump-like cuts. Labour came to power promising responsible government, but instead is making chaotic, reckless and even desperate decisions that have life-or-death consequences for the world’s most vulnerable people. They must change course, at least until plans can be made to avoid a complete cliff-edge withdrawal of aid.”

Polling this week suggests a minority (33%) of the UK public support UK aid cuts, falling to 18% among Labour voters.

Analysis by ONE reveals the potential outcomes if the planned 40% reduction in UK aid is distributed evenly across global health and food programmes: 

• 37,888,889 fewer children immunised against measles, polio, rotavirus and other deadly diseases through Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance – equivalent to more than twice the entire child population of the UK.
• 601,130 fewer lives saved due to reductions in support to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, more than the entire population of Glasgow.
• 292,727 fewer school children receiving nutritious meals and essential food assistance through the World Food Programme. 

-ENDS-

Notes on data:

• For Global Fund, the estimate is for years 2027-2029.

• For Gavi, the estimate is for years 2026-2030.

• For World Food Programme, it assumes 2023 levels of funding are cut by 40% for a one-year period.