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Commons committee chairs and former ministers sign a letter demanding a roadmap to restore the aid budget in full amid fears there could be further cuts
David MaddoxPolitical EditorSaturday 22 November 2025 09:23 GMTComments
CloseMinister Anneliese Dodds resigns over Starmer move to cut foreign aid budget
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Senior Labour MPs have demanded Rachel Reeves' U-turn on her controversial foreign aid cuts by providing a roadmap to restoring the budget to save millions from humanitarian crises.
Key figures, including international development committee chair Sarah Champion and business committee chair Liam Byrne, are calling for Ms Reeves to commit billions more to the budget she slashed to pay for more defence spending last year.
In a letter to the chancellor, who is to unveil her make-or-break Budget on Wednesday, they insist she must chart a path back to restoring the foreign aid budget from 0.3 per cent of gross national income (GNI)– the lowest level in 25 years – to 0.7 per cent to ensure the UK meets its international obligations.
It comes amid concerns that Ms Reeves may try to further cut spending as she struggles to balance the country’s finances and fill a £20bn black hole.
open image in galleryInternational development committee chairwoman Sarah Champion is among those calling for a U-turn on foreign aid cuts (PA Media)The cuts prompted a furious row within Labour and prompted international development minister Anneliese Dodds to dramatically resign in protest. And analysis by Save the Children, shared exclusively with The Independent, found they will leave 55.5 million of the world’s poorest people without access to basic resources, such as water, and food aid, education and family planning.
While Labour stood on a manifesto pledge in 2024 to restore it to 0.7 per cent, Ms Reeves has offered no plan on restoring the aid budget, which is now mainly focused on Gaza.
The letter to Ms Reeves from senior Labour backbenchers, seen by The Independent, states: “At a time of mounting strain on the international rules-based order, the UK cutting development funding will weaken our soft power, increase the risk to our security and open wider opportunities for rogue regimes.
“We know you are focused rightly on a decade of national renewal, but our manifesto also recognised our international responsibilities as a member of the UN Security Council and the G7 to help reduce the poverty, climate change and instability that fuels global conflicts and increased migration.
“A definitive timetable to return development spending to just 0.7 per cent GNI would enable the FCDO to plan strategically, make temporary reductions, while maximising value for money for taxpayers.”
Signatories unite the different factions in the party and include defence chair Tan Dhesi, former business and Africa minister Gareth Thomas. Alistair Darling’s former adviser in the Treasury Emily Darlington, ex-minister Fleur Anderson, and Worthing West MP Dr Beccy Cooper, chair of APPG on Global Health and Security, have also thrown their weight behind it.
open image in galleryBusiness committee chair Liam Byrne is also urging the chancellor for a rethink (Maja Smiejkowska/PA) (PA Wire)The signatories unite the factions across the party from left to right over the issue.
They noted: “Currently, one-fifth of Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) is allocated to In-Donor Refugee Costs within the UK, rather than to lifesaving programmes overseas. This is projected to rise to one-third of ODA next year. We know you are committed to reducing expenditure on asylum hotels and urge you to return the resulting savings to FCDO to support our development, diplomatic and security agenda overseas.”
Arguing for a definitive timetable to return to 0.7 per cent, they said: “Such an approach would avoid the mistakes of the previous government, where indiscriminate cuts caused severe humanitarian harm and risked public funds through hastily dismantling effective programmes. The damage to global standing from their actions cannot be underestimated.
“We are deeply concerned that the ODA budget cannot withstand any further reductions. Each cut in global development funding puts lives at risk and creates a vacuum that geopolitical competitors such as China and Russia are quick to try and fill.”
The manifesto commitment on which we all stood promised to restore development spending to 0.7 per cent of GNI. The caveat of ‘when fiscal circumstances allow’ risks seeming increasingly hollow.”
They added: “Development spending, much like investment in our armed forces or in research and development, cannot achieve meaningful and lasting results without stability and sustained planning. We hope you will agree that we should now commit financially to a long-term international development plan.”
It is estimated that if the UK returns to 0.7 per cent of it would more than double the overseas development and aid budget to around £20bn in 2027.
This article has been produced as part of The Independent’s Rethinking Global Aid project
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