Should philanthropists really have to plug the funding gap left by the UK’s foreign aid cuts?

It is never a good look for a government when a group of philanthropists feel they have to step in to plug a gap in funding that you have created – but that is exactly what has happened over the issue of the overseas aid budget.

A group, including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation and Open Society Foundations, have pledged £93.5m in funding to cover some of the cuts necessary after the government’s decision to reduce spending on foreign aid from 0.7 per cent of national income to 0.5 per cent. Ministers have said that decision was a result of the financial impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and that funding would be restored at some point. Chancellor Rishi Sunak has previously said the commitment is hard to “justify” given the UK is facing record borrowing.

The group of philanthropic organisations said their own temporary funding would help save “critical projects” and ensure progress around the globe was not “wasted”.

A group of Conservative MPs, including former prime minister Theresa May, have called on the government to restore the commitment to spend 0.7 per cent of gross national income on overseas aid. May has said the cuts will have “a devastating impact on the poorest in the world and damage the UK”. Charities such as Oxfam and Water Aid have also criticised the cuts, which amount to around £4bn a year.

The announcement of the philanthropic funding was backed by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, who said it was “desperately needed” – while also calling on the government to rethink its actions.

A number of readers have sent correspondence in recent months suggesting that while it is obviously a difficult time, cuts to international aid do not show the international leadership they expect from the UK government – others have disagreed, saying the Covid response has to take precedence. This latest development is sure to spark further debate.

Yours,

Chris Stevenson

Editor, Voices