Equality and climate feel force of UK's foreign aid cuts

Details of the cuts of more than 40% in the UK bilateral aid spending programme have been set out by the Foreign Office for the first time, including huge cuts to humanitarian aid, girls’ equality and climate.

It is the first time the government has outlined how the aid axe is intended to fall in 2021 as ministers cut the aid programme from 0.7% of UK gross national income to 0.5%, a decision now endorsed in a vote by MPs, but not peers, and likely to remain in force for many years.

Ministers say the UK aid programme will remain the third largest in the world, and the cuts were forced on the government by the scale of the hit to the economy caused by Covid.