The SNP has accused the Labour government of deepening poverty at home and abroad following confirmation of sweeping cuts to the UK’s foreign aid budget.
A new report from the Foreign Office reveals that women and children in Africa will bear the brunt of the reductions, which include significant cuts to spending on women’s health and water sanitation, measures the UK government itself admits will increase the risk of death and disease.
The cuts come despite Labour’s manifesto commitment during last year’s election to restore development spending to the UN target of 0.7 per cent of gross national income.
In February, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced that instead, aid would be reduced further to 0.3 per cent almost halving the already lowered level set under the previous Conservative government.
SNP International Development spokesperson Chris Law MP said the decision represents “a shameful breaking of promises” and accused Labour of abandoning the UK’s international responsibilities at a time of urgent global need.
“The Labour Party’s shameful austerity cuts show that Keir Starmer’s government is increasing poverty at home and abroad with women and children hit hardest,” he said.
“By breaking yet another manifesto pledge, Keir Starmer is putting some of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people at increased risk of death and disease, while at the same time the Labour Party’s punitive welfare cuts are causing child poverty to soar to record levels in the UK.”
Law warned that the cuts undermine both Scotland’s values and the UK’s credibility on the world stage.
“The decision to rip up our international commitments and slash aid is shortsighted, and it directly undermines Scotland’s values and interests damaging our influence and security.”
Domestically, the SNP has highlighted what it describes as “punitive welfare policies” including the two‑child benefit cap, the bedroom tax and the wider benefit cap which it says are driving record levels of child poverty across the UK.
Analysis from the House of Commons Library suggests that if the UK government adopted Scottish anti‑poverty measures, including scrapping the two‑child cap and matching the Scottish Child Payment UK‑wide, it could lift more than two million families out of poverty overnight.
The SNP argues that Scotland is the only part of the UK where poverty rates are falling and insists this is proof that alternative policies are possible.
Chris Law added:
“It’s clear tackling poverty isn’t a priority for this Labour government.
“In contrast, the SNP is lifting families out of poverty in Scotland and we will continue to demand the UK government take action to support the families it is failing in the UK and to meet our obligations to vulnerable people who face starvation, disease and death in places including Gaza and Africa.”
