Starmer Government Slashes World Food Programme Funding Amid Hunger Pledges
Prime Minister Keir Starmer faces mounting accusations of hypocrisy after his administration implemented sharp reductions to the United Nations World Food Programme's funding, despite his public commitments to tackle global hunger and starvation.
Substantial Reduction in Humanitarian Support
The UK's contribution to the World Food Programme has been cut by approximately a third, decreasing from $610 million (£448 million) in 2024 to $435 million last year. This significant reduction forms part of broader austerity measures affecting Britain's international aid budget, which campaigners warn will directly endanger vulnerable lives worldwide.
This funding decrease occurs alongside the government's failure to make any financial pledge following last year's two-day conference addressing starvation and malnutrition in Afghanistan, an event hosted by the UK itself.
Former Minister Condemns "Hypocritical" Approach
Michael Bates, a former Conservative aid minister in the House of Lords, has been particularly vocal in his criticism, stating that ministers are reducing funding precisely when cases of starvation are growing "exponentially" across multiple regions.
"If this was just a UK story it would be bad enough, but we are seeing it is a French story, it is a German story and a US story," Bates remarked. "All these countries are cutting. There will be a time lag but this will cost lives. We have a responsibility to protect these lives."
Bates described the government's position as fundamentally "hypocritical", arguing that it contradicts Starmer's own rhetoric about the urgent need for action in an area where Britain has historically demonstrated global leadership.
Broader Context of Declining Aid Commitments
The current controversy unfolds against a backdrop of diminishing international aid commitments. The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development projects that total global aid fell by 9% in 2024, with further reductions of between 9% and 17% anticipated for 2025.
Britain's specific situation involves multiple factors straining humanitarian budgets:
- The UK made a formal commitment in 2015 to spend 0.7% of gross national income on development, aligning with UN targets
- The previous Conservative government reduced this commitment to 0.5%
- Starmer has announced that aid spending will decrease further to 0.3% of GDP from 2027
- This reduction aims to facilitate increased defence spending, targeting 2.5% of national income by 2027
Government Response and Additional Pressures
A government spokesperson defended the administration's position, stating: "When we took the difficult decision to reduce our aid budget to allow more to be spent on defence and security, our funding for humanitarian support including to address hunger was relatively protected, and we recognise how important food assistance is for those in need."
The spokesperson emphasised that Britain remains the fifth largest donor to the World Food Programme, which continues to be a vital partner in global humanitarian efforts.
Additional pressures on the UK's overseas development assistance include:
- The Home Office expects to spend approximately £2.2 billion of the aid budget this financial year on hotel bills for asylum seekers already within the UK
- Despite these constraints, the government announced a further £20 million in October for water, sanitation and hygiene services reaching tens of thousands of civilians across Gaza
- This Gaza allocation supplements £74 million already pledged by the UK for humanitarian support in the region
The tension between Starmer's public commitments at international forums like the G20 summit in Brazil—where he pledged to prioritise "the fight against hunger" and tackle "suffering and starvation"—and his government's practical budgetary decisions continues to generate significant political controversy and humanitarian concern.
