MSF UK Response to the Comprehensive Spending Review 

Dr Natalie Roberts, MSF UK Executive Director said: 

“There is no doubt - these cuts will cost lives. Even before the UK government’s announcement of a drastic reduction to its international aid budget, the needs of vulnerable people impacted by conflict, disease, and hunger had already far outstripped the available funding. The government has cited these cuts as a ‘difficult decision’, but this was in fact a political choice to deprioritise saving lives and alleviating suffering. As other governments around the world abandon their commitments to assist the world’s most marginalised people, the UK could have chosen to stand in solidarity with them. Instead, millions of people around the world, already facing unimaginable hardship, will now be left without crucial humanitarian support.” ​ 

Whilst MSF does not receive UK government funding, we have already seen the impact of aid cuts on the communities we serve: 

In Somalia: Chronic funding shortfalls have crippled humanitarian efforts, forcing vital nutrition programs to scale back or close. The looming threat of a La Niña-driven drought in 2025 could push the already vulnerable communities to the brink. Without immediate and sustained support, thousands of children face not only starvation but also weakened immunity, increased vulnerability to diseases, and irreversible developmental harm. The healthcare system, already struggling under relentless demand, risks total collapse as outbreaks and complications surge. ​ MSF urgently calls on the UK government to act now: before the 2025 drought strikes. There is an urgent need to scale up nutrition treatment, expand food distribution, and strengthen healthcare services to save lives while there is still time. 

These cuts also come at a pivotal moment in global health, with the upcoming replenishments for both Gavi and the Global Fund. The UK has played a leading role as a major donor to both Gavi and the Global Fund, driving significant progress in access to lifesaving vaccines for preventable diseases such as measles and diphtheria, and in the fight against HIV, TB and Malaria. Despite this progress, there is an urgent need to do more. The UK must not turn it's back on hard-won gains which are now at serious risk if current investment levels are not sustained. ​ 

The UK can still reverse these cuts. MSF UK calls on the Government to not go ahead with this devasting course of action, and to instead commit to an effective aid strategy that prioritises the health and lives of those in dire need. ​ 

Whilst the Chancellor has stated she will commit to reduce the use of harmful contingency of asylum accommodation, the spending review has offered no meaningful commitment to reduce the unacceptably high proportion of the UK’s ODA budget to cover the costs of asylum accommodation in the UK. This diverts vital resources away from their core purpose - supporting communities around the world grappling with conflict, disaster and humanitarian crises. ​ 

We continue to call for the implementation of a well-functioning and compassionate asylum system in the UK, but this must not come at the cost of the UK’s global humanitarian commitments. ​ ​ The government must urgently restore the integrity of the ODA budget and ensure it is used as intended: to save lives and support the world’s most vulnerable people.