Revealed: UK education and health aid to plummet by up to 72% into 2027 – UK Times

Britain’s aid spending on education and health in countries around the world is set to plunge by up to 72 per cent by 2027, The Independent can reveal.

The Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has folded what were previously three separate budget lines – covering education, health, gender and equality, and development – into a single “Human Development” directorate.

Analysis of the latest FCDO annual report suggests the combined funding lines have been cut by 72 per cent between 2024–25 and 2026–27, from £1.54bn to £433m. Spending is projected to partially recover to £1.24bn by 2028–29 – but that is still 20 per cent below 2024–25 levels in cash terms, and more accounting for inflation.

The reorganisation makes it difficult to track cuts to individual programme areas from these thematic splits in the published accounts alone, with some funding coming from other areas of the aid budget. Bambos Charalambous, Labour MP and chair of the All–Party Parliamentary Group on Global Education said: “It appears that staggering cuts are being made to education projects in some of the poorest parts of the world – at huge cost to the UK’s reputation, as well as to the life chances of children often living in war zones. That’s a tragedy, but the least ministers can do is come clean about what is happening.”

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper’s written statement to parliament on the UK’s aid cuts – with the official development assistance (ODA) budget falling from 0.5 per cent to 0.3 per cent of Gross National income (GNI) by 2028 in order to boost defence spending – named Education Cannot Wait, a multilateral fund, as a protected commitment. It made no reference to bilateral education spending. That is the direct country–by–country funding that pays for teachers, classrooms and curriculum support in some of the world’s poorest nations.

South Sudan is the sharpest such example. It has the highest rate of out–of–school children in the world, with around two thirds of school–age children – roughly 2.8 million – not in education, a figure that has worsened since Sudan again burst into civil war in early 2025 and more than 1.6 million refugees from Sudan’s civil war crossed the border.

The UK’s Girls’ Education South Sudan programme – which the FCDO’s own figures show cost nearly £67m and directly supported 1.5 million girls to access education since 2018 – ended in March this year and is transitioning to a successor programme called Education for All South Sudan (EFASS). That tender has since been cancelled amid a wider review of FCDO budgets. South Sudan’s minister of general education, Kuyok Abol Kuyok, told the BBC last year that the UK embassy told him it was not a cancellation of the project, just of the tender, and that Britain remained “in the game.” He was not reassured, telling the World Service: “This is one of the best projects Great Britain is investing in South Sudan. I’m very concerned. Because, look, what is going to happen? Even [former Conservative PM] Boris Johnson ring–fenced this during those difficult days of austerity.”

The International Development Committee wrote to Jenny Chapman, minister of state for international development and Africa, in February, after hearing from the South Sudan minister that the FCDO’s contribution to the programme would be cut by 90 per cent in the new financial year. The committee’s chair, Labour MP Sarah Champion, warned the reduction would “likely see significant regression” in gains made and described it as a “shortsighted own–goal” risked undermining partners before they were self–sustaining.

In her reply, Baroness Chapman did not dispute the 90 per cent figure, but pointed instead to the EFASS transition and said country–by–country allocations would be made public in the FCDO’s annual report in the summer. She said education, health and humanitarian response would “remain priorities” in South Sudan. It is believed the FCDO is aiming at more targeted support for the most marginalised communities – but as yet, how that will be achieved is unclear.

Chanju Mwanza, Senior Education Advocacy Advisor at Save the Children UK, said: “The disproportionate cuts to UK education funding are pulling the rug from under children who need it most. Children consistently tell us that education is their top priority – even in the midst of crisis – yet with more than 273 million already out of school globally. Scaling back support now not only risks locking an entire generation out of learning, but also their sense of safety, stability and hope for the future.

“In South Sudan, where millions of children are already out of school, vital programmes have already been slashed or cancelled, and promised funding has fallen far short. Cutting both bilateral support and contributions to global funds removes the last safety net for the most vulnerable children.”

An FCDO spokesperson said: “Our commitment to international development remains a central part of our foreign policy. We know that tackling global challenges like conflict, instability and crises, as well as investing in growth and trade, is not only the right thing to do but also delivers mutual benefits to the UK and those we aim to support.”

“Our immediate focus is on ensuring UK ODA is impactful and is focused on the people and places that need it most.”

“As part of this, our investment in education continues to be geared towards those at greatest risk of missing out – especially girls, children with disabilities, and children affected by conflict – as well as strengthening education systems, mobilising finance, and providing UK expertise, to help raise the overall provision of education in our partner countries.”

This article has been produced as part of The Independent’s Rethinking Global Aid project