As the UK government implements a reduction in official development assistance from 0.5 percent to 0.3 percent of gross national income by 2027, its recently published country-level allocations reveal the scale of the shift now underway. Bilateral funding to a number of longstanding partner countries, including Malawi, Mozambique, Kenya, and Tanzania, is being cut by around 90 percent, while support to Ukraine, Sudan, Palestine, and Lebanon remains fully protected. Published just days before Andy Burnham succeeded Keir Starmer as prime minister, the allocations leave the new government with an inherited strategy, and important decisions about what comes next.
The event will bring together UK and partner-country perspectives to examine what these allocations mean in practice for the countries most affected, the implications of the government's shift towards humanitarian response and investment-led development, and the choices now facing the new government. The discussion, drawing on the recently published Independent Commission for Aid Impact's (ICAI) report, UK Aid Spending to 2029, will explore whether the allocations should be revisited, where there is scope for wider reform, and what priorities should shape the UK's international development strategy under Burnham.
Please note that this event is open to pre-registered media. If you have questions regarding media engagement, please contact [email protected]
