House of Commons
International Development Committee
For immediate release – Tuesday 13 May2025
- Minister says “no reason to think” aid will be cut lower than 0.3% of GNI
- Days of viewing UK Government as “a global charity” are over
- No decision made on key multilateral replenishments
Development Minister Baroness Chapman today confirmed to MPs that the Government does not intend to make any further cuts to the UK’s aid budget.
Appearing before the cross-party International Development Committee, the Minister said that the Government’s intention was to increase aid spending over time and that she had “no reason to think” that aid would be cut any lower than 0.3% of GNI.
In February, the Government announced plans to cut aid spending from 0.5% to 0.3% of gross national income (GNI) from 2027, its lowest level for decades, to fund a substantial increase in defence spending.
She said the decision to make the cut was “a choice that has been made, and a choice that we have to implement as best we can.”
Baroness Chapman also said that “the days of viewing the UK Government as a global charity” were “over”, and that the Government had to change how it approached development. “For countries developing, we need to be an investor and not just a donor. It’s about partnership and not paternalism.”
Asked about her plans for programmes focusing on women and girls, the Minister said: “I can’t promise to protect every good programme, I just can’t.”
She also said no final decision had been made on the UK’s contribution to the replenishment of several key multilateral institutions: GAVI, the Global Fund and the World Bank’s International Development Association.
Responding to the session, Sarah Champion MP, Chair of the International Development Committee, said:
“I hoped to hear the Minister set out a clear vision today for how she would deliver these cuts while maintaining the UK’s existing pledges. I am alarmed that, with the clock ticking, there were no concrete commitments on what will be reduced and what is saved.
We urgently need clarity; these are real people’s lives, safety and futures. More questions were raised than answered today. The Minister recognising and prioritising our frontline staff and committing to involving them in decisions is welcome, as is her intention to maintain aid spending at 0.3% of GNI without further reductions.
Baroness Chapman admitted that the Government’s change in direction was ‘a political choice’. But choices have consequences. It appears that education and women and girls are no longer priorities; this will have a serious impact, not least to our international standing.
Ministers insist that the UK remains a key player on the world stage. But I remain deeply concerned that we are laying down tools just when we need to get to work.”
ENDS
Notes to editors
Media enquiries to Jacob Moreton moretonj@parliament.uk / 07720 143396
Sarah Champion (Rotherham MP) is Chair of the International Development Committee. Full membership is available on the Committee’s website.