This will cost lives': cuts to UK aid budget condemned as betrayal' by international development groups

Keir Starmer's recent announcement of drastic cuts to UK aid signals a troubling shift in the nation's commitment to global development. The aid spending will drop from 0.5% to 0.3% of GNI, reducing support by approximately £6 billion to finance increased defense expenditures. This move has prompted outrage, with critics labeling it a betrayal of poorer countries, and it risks lives, especially among those dependent on UK humanitarian programs. The significant reduction aligns with a worrying trend of diminishing aid budgets among traditionally prominent donor nations, posing severe implications for global health and security.

This will cost lives. Anneliese Dodds, the international development minister, resigned over the decision on Friday. UK aid funds projects offering humanitarian assistance and health services.

The scale and speed of the cuts now facing the sector is unprecedented, and decisions made in response will have wide-ranging implications for global health and security for generations to come.

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