Responding to the aid cuts

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On Wednesday 21 April 2021, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab delivered a Written Statement, setting out how his department’s ODA (Official Development Assistance) budget would be allocated in 2020/21. While Raab’s statement provides some clarity on how FCDO ODA will be allocated this financial year, the true implications of the aid cuts continue to be shrouded in secrecy.

This could indicate the start of a trend away from scrutiny and transparency in relation to UK aid spend, potentially as a symptom of the FCO/DFID merger, as anticipated by the New Diplomacy Project in a previous briefing.

If the Written Statement tells us anything, it’s that the Foreign Secretary’s seven strategic priorities - and the Government’s own manifesto promises - are not exempt from the aid cuts, with Save the Children UK projecting a 25% reduction compared to 2019-20 spending for girls education.

Humanitarian preparedness and response are among the thematic priorities expected to face significant cuts. Save the Children UK’s analysis of IATI data concludes that 2021-22 will see an approximate 44% reduction from 2019-20 figures. 

Labour should call out the Government’s decision to obfuscate the details of aid cuts ahead of the UK hosting the G7 and COP26. It should be framed as a political ploy, designed to save the Government the embarrassment of hosting international summits while at the same time reneging on the UK’s aid commitments to the rest of the world.

Shadow Ministers should call for the Foreign Secretary to be honest with UK NGOs and with the British people on where the bulk of the cuts will fall, as well as the price this will have on the UK’s standing in the world.

Photo: UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab arrives at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office with Permanent Under-Secretary Sir Philip Barton. Andrew Parsons / No 10 Downing Street via Flickr.