Former Ministers Issue Stark Warning Over Planned Aid Reduction
A group of seven former Labour ministers has written to Prime Minister Keir Starmer, warning that an expected 20% cut to Britain's contribution to the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria would represent both a 'moral failure' and a strategic disaster. The intervention comes as ministers and officials are expected to finalise the UK's contribution to the fund within days.
The Human Cost of Funding Reductions
Aid organisations have calculated that reducing the UK's contribution from £1 billion to £800 million for the 2027-29 period would severely hamper one of the most cost-effective aid programmes in modern times. This cut could lead to up to 340,000 avoidable deaths and nearly 6 million preventable infections, putting the most vulnerable populations, particularly children, at serious risk.
The letter to the Prime Minister is private, with only two signatories - Gareth Thomas and Fleur Anderson - publicly confirming their involvement. All seven MPs served as junior ministers under Starmer before losing their positions in September's reshuffle.
Gareth Thomas, who previously served as minister for Africa under Gordon Brown and as a business minister for Starmer, emphasised the tangible impact of the Global Fund's work. 'These were not abstract statistics,' he stated. 'They were healthy babies who would not have survived without this assistance. The question now is whether we have the will to see this through.'
Broader Pattern of Aid Reduction Concerns
The controversy over the Global Fund contribution follows another recent reduction in UK aid support. The government's decision to commit £1.25 billion to the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (Gavi) over five years represented a 24% decrease compared to the sum pledged by Boris Johnson for 2021-25.
Thomas described the Gavi funding reduction as 'a troubling signal of retreat', adding: 'We are moving in the wrong direction, precisely when we must defend international cooperation and multilateralism most vigorously.'
The concerns extend beyond health outcomes to national security implications. 'Healthy communities that can learn, work and thrive create stable, resilient societies,' Thomas argued. 'Tackling disease in the poorest countries alleviates the conditions that fuel instability, displacement and conflict.'
The timing of the expected announcement has drawn additional criticism, as it would likely occur on the sidelines of next month's G20 summit in South Africa, which Starmer is scheduled to attend.
Recent polling commissioned by the One Campaign and conducted by More in Common indicates that 62% of Britons believe the government should maintain or increase its support for the Global Fund, suggesting public opinion aligns with the MPs' concerns.
A Foreign Office spokesperson responded: 'The UK continues work with the Global Fund to play a significant role in the global response to fight disease globally. Our work has contributed to saving 70 million lives and reducing the combined death rate from HIV, TB and Malaria by 63%.'
