A former senior advisor to three British prime ministers has urged Prime Minister hopeful Andy Burnham to reverse a £1 billion cut in foreign aid if he assumes power. Tom Fletcher, who now heads the United Nations' humanitarian efforts, stated that foreign aid should be prioritized over defense spending due to its critical importance.
Fletcher, who previously served as the British ambassador to Lebanon, offered his personal advice to Burnham, emphasizing the need to act swiftly on reversing aid cuts. He noted that the foreign aid budget, previously reduced by the Labour party and further cut this year by Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, has reached its lowest point in nearly two decades. This reduction has drawn significant criticism from humanitarian organizations.
"We need to show solidarity for the world right now," Fletcher said, highlighting his determination to save millions of lives through humanitarian efforts. He suggested that one percent of global defense spending could fund life-saving initiatives, contrasting it with the significant resources allocated to military expenditures. Fletcher, who advised Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, and David Cameron on foreign policy, has led UN emergency relief operations since 2024.
Fletcher views foreign aid as a primary defense mechanism, asserting that addressing global insecurity requires proactive engagement and saving lives. He argued that Britain, historically a leader in humanitarian aid, should reclaim that position.
In 2025, official development assistance (ODA) amounted to just over £13 billion, representing 0.43 percent of gross national income. This marked a £1 billion decrease from the previous year, when spending was 0.5 percent of national income. The last time ODA represented 0.43 percent of national income was in 2008, when £6.35 billion was spent. Apart from temporary reductions during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021 and 2022, total aid allocations in 2025 were the lowest since 2015, when slightly over £12 billion was allocated, accounting for 0.7 percent of national income.
The government currently plans to further reduce aid to 0.3 percent of national income by 2027, with funds intended to increase defense spending, though details of the defense plan have not yet been released.