Aid cuts ‘a gift’ to UK’s adversaries at the UN, warn MPs

Britain’s aid cuts are a “gift” to China and Russia’s efforts to undermine an increasingly polarised United Nations, a Commons committee has warned.

In a report published ahead of the UN’s General Assembly week, the Foreign Affairs Committee urged the Government restore the aid budget and funding for multilateral institutions or risk leaving space for the UK’s adversaries.

At the start of the year, the Government announced plans to reduce aid spending to 0.3% of national income to fund greater defence spending.

The cut followed the previous government’s decision to reduce the aid budget to 0.5% of national income from 0.7%, a target it had been legally committed to.

The budget for the Foreign Office directorate that deals with multilateral institutions, including the UN, has also been cut, falling by 65% between 2024/25 and 2025/26.

Committee chairwoman Dame Emily Thornberry said the cuts were “a gift to China and Russia, who seek to exert malign and disruptive influence and control at the UN”.

She added: “We need to be much more vocal when we see permanent members (of the UN Security Council) abuse and misuse multilateral institutions.

“Today’s report finds that the UK is widely respected and should use its positive reputation and voice to call out China and Russia. To date, we have been far too cautious.”

The report comes ahead of what could be a pivotal week at the UN, which is holding its General Assembly in New York as it marks 80 years since its foundation.

The UK is expected to use the General Assembly to formally recognise Palestinian statehood, which Dame Emily said demonstrated the UN “continues to hold weight”.

In its report, the committee warned of “tension and polarisation” at the UN Security Council between Russia and China on one side and Britain, France and the US on the other.

Urging the Government to “push back” at efforts to “weaken” the UN, the MPs said: “The need for strategic and purposeful multilateralism, underpinned by a strong commitment to the rules-based international order, has never been more urgent.”

But they acknowledged the increasing role of bilateral negotiations in reaching peace settlements, pointing to talks in Doha or Istanbul regarding current major conflicts and calling on the Government to “enhance” its relationships with Qatar, Turkey and Saudi Arabia while remaining committed to the UN.

Dame Emily said: “Whilst the UN is not without its flaws, it is an utterly unique and irreplaceable forum through which nations can come together, make collective decisions and take joint action.

“However, our report found we either use it or lose it, and the UK and its allies must properly re-engage with the UN if it is to survive. The UN is only as effective as we want it to be.”

Much of the committee’s report focused on the UK’s role as a “penholder”, a Security Council member responsible for leading negotiations and drafting resolutions on a particular subject.

While the MPs were positive about the UK’s penholder role in several areas, they also called on the Government to “go beyond symbolism” in its work on women, peace and security.

In particular, they said the UK should resist attempts from Russia, China and the US to remove references to women’s reproductive health and safety from Security Council resolutions.

A Government spokesperson said the UK’s commitment to the UN “remains steadfast”.

They said: “We agree with the committee that strengthening the multilateral system at a time of rising global conflict is vital for global security and prosperity and we welcome their recognition of the important role that the UK continues to play in that effort at the UN during such a challenging time.

“The FCDO (Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office) is building a more effective department, suitably equipped to deal with increasing global strategic challenges. We will be more ruthlessly focused on threats and protecting UK interests, including through our work at the UN.”