Take action: Tell the UK Government to reverse the aid cut

06 Mar 25

Take action: Tell the UK Government to reverse the aid cut

Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders (MSF) is calling on the UK Government to reverse its cut to Official Development Assistance – commonly known as foreign aid.

This decision will have a direct and catastrophic impact on the health and wellbeing of people living through conflict, disaster and disease – in many places where MSF works.

An MSF vehicle passes in front of ruined buildings in Jabalia, northern Gaza, February 2025.

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I am writing to express my deep concern about the UK Government's shameful decision to slash official development assistance (ODA) to 0.3%.

This reduction will have a direct and catastrophic impact on the health and wellbeing of people living through conflict, disaster and disease.

As my MP, I am asking you to take action. The decision to cut the aid budget MUST be reversed.

UK Aid is needed now more than ever to meet the scale and complexity of global events. Instead, our country’s commitment will plunge to its lowest level in decades.

Humanitarian crises in countries such as Sudan, Yemen, Afghanistan, DRC, Nigeria, South Sudan, and Palestine are becoming increasingly dire. Millions of people are facing escalating violence, conflict and instability. They are urgently in need of assistance. However, the gap between these growing needs and the resources available to address them is widening at an alarming rate.

UK Aid plays a critical role in saving lives and alleviating suffering. However, this decision by the Government will instead cost lives and deepen the global crisis.

Please, use your voice as my MP to: 
1) Speak out against the aid cuts in Parliament – raise concerns and submit questions and
2)Write to the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary – urge them to reverse the cuts before lives are lost.

As the UK Government reviews its spending priorities, the decision to cut ODA must be reversed; assistance to some of the world’s most vulnerable populations must be protected. The UK has long been a leader in international humanitarian efforts and now is not the time to roll back on this commitment.

The world is facing unprecedented challenges, and the UK must rise to meet them.

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Why do we need your support?

Around the world, MSF teams are working on the frontline of humanitarian crises and healthcare emergencies. We know from experience in places such as Afghanistan, Yemen and Nigeria that the cut to UK Aid will ultimately cost lives.

MSF is a leading humanitarian organisation. We have a duty to speak out.

I'm writing to you with an urgent, and unusual, request.

On 25 February, the UK Government announced a significant cut to its official development assistance – often known as the foreign aid budget.

I know from my experience with MSF, as well as that of my colleagues around the world, that this will have a direct and catastrophic impact on the health and wellbeing of people living through conflict, disaster and disease.

Put simply, this decision will cost lives.

The Government has shrunk the aid budget to increase spending on defence. But this shouldn't be a choice between one and the other – the people we support need both services and a safe place to live.

Right now, in Sudan, MSF teams are working in what has been dubbed “a humanitarian void”. More than 11 million people have been forcibly displaced by the war, however, many international organisations are barely able to respond. Shameful cuts, such as announced by the UK Government, now risk making crises like this more common.

In Afghanistan, Yemen, Nigeria, and countries around the world, it is clear that aid funding is needed now more than ever to meet the scale and complexity of global events. Instead, the gap is growing, and our most vulnerable people are in the middle of it.

Now is the time to speak out.

MSF is calling on the UK Government to reverse the aid cut and commit to a strategy that prioritises the health and wellbeing of people in need.

You can help us do this by emailing your MP. We have created a simple tool that enables you to share our urgent message with them directly.

MSF is an independent, neutral and impartial organisation. We do not take any funding from the UK Government, and worldwide 98 percent of our support comes from private individuals – people just like you. Since 1971, this has given us a unique independence that means we can act fast where others cannot, driven by medical needs alone.

So, I want to be clear: for us, this is simply about saving lives.

Thank you.

Dr Natalie Roberts
MSF UK Executive Director

How will this letter help?

MSF has contacted ministers in the UK Government to voice our serious concern about the impact of the UK Aid cut. In the past days, many charities and experts have spoken out to share their outrage.

You can help by emailing your own MP to share our urgent message – putting further pressure on the Government to reverse this dangerous decision.

Will MSF be affected by the UK Aid cut?

MSF is an independent, neutral and impartial organisation. We do not take any funding from the UK Government, however, we bear witness to the impact of aid cuts in the countries where we work.

Worldwide 98 percent of our support comes from private individuals – people just like you. Since 1971, this has given us a unique independence that means we can act fast where others cannot, driven by medical needs alone.

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Take action: Tell the UK Government to reverse the aid cut