The Leprosy Mission Great Britain

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Today Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced that Overseas Aid will be reduced to just 0.3% of GNI to fund an increase in defence spending.

Chief Executive of The Leprosy Mission, Peter Waddup, said:

"I am stunned by the cruel act of taking aid from the world's poorest people. When global poverty is at a record high, we are literally taking food from the mouths of the hungriest people.

"This Government had promised to restore UK Aid to its rightful 0.7% of GNI as soon as fiscal circumstances allow. But instead it has broken its promise to the UK people. It has cut far deeper than the last Conservative government.

"We do not need to follow President Trump's lead. We have to question what sort of world we live in when it is permissible to neglect the desperate needs of everyone outside of our home nation.

"The rightful 0.7%, as enshrined in law in 2015, was a promise to work as a global society. To protect people suffering from the ravages of climate change, food insecurity and disease. But our Government has turned our back on this promise. It has taken the path of least resistance by making cuts that only devastate lives outside of the UK.

"It is an inhumane and short-sighted decision to make. We are destroying our reputation on the world stage as a true global partner. We now lag behind the amount of overseas aid given by other G7 countries including Germany, France, Japan and Canada. I urge the government to urgently reconsider."