Restoring International Development Assistance

Submitted by: Green Liberal Democrats

Conference notes:

1. The Liberal Democrats were the first UK political party to commit to meeting the OECD target of spending 0.7% of Gross National Income (GNI) on Official Development Assistance (ODA), and enshrined this target in law whilst in government.
2. On 25th November 2020, Rishi Sunak announced a ‘temporary’ cut to 0.5%; this resulted in thousands of preventable deaths and cuts to vital programmes.
3. The current Labour Government’s manifesto committed to restoring development spending at the level of 0.7% of GNI “as soon as fiscal circumstances allow”; despite this, on 25th February 2025, Keir Starmer announced an immediate cut from 0.5% to 0.3% of GNI.
4. The international development budget has been further eroded by the large increase in in-donor refugee costs due to the decision of the previous Conservative government to pause asylum approvals – as well as leaving thousands of people trapped in limbo, these costs have occupied an increasingly large share of ODA.

Conference believes that:

1. While there is an acute need to increase defence spending to support Ukraine and ensure the UK’s future security, this can be met through fair measures such as a digital sales tax and does not require yet another cut to ODA.
2. The government’s cuts to ODA will cost lives and are completely unjustified. UK aid provides desperately needed support to the most vulnerable people in the world, particularly in fragile and conflict-affected states, and is a key tool in meeting our climate commitments.
3. The UK’s commitment to development has been one of our most effective foreign policy tools in recent decades and is a key pillar in ensuring our future security.
4. Sudden cuts to ODA fall disproportionately on the most vulnerable – those affected by humanitarian crises – due to annualised budget cycles being easier to cut.

Conference calls for:

1. The immediate restoration of UK aid spending at 0.5% of GNI and a roadmap to restore 0.7% of GNI as soon as possible within this parliament.
2. A halt to the charging of asylum hosting costs to the ODA budget, freeing up billions for global poverty reduction, climate action and humanitarian response.
3. The Government to increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP as soon as possible – based on funding plans outlined by the Liberal Democrats – and to hold cross-party talks to agree a consensus on how to reach 3%.

Applicability: Federal.