Overview
- Reports indicate ministers are preparing to set the pledge between £800m and £850m for 2027–29, down from £1bn in 2022, with the Foreign Office saying the figure will be announced in due course.
- Seven Labour MPs who recently served as junior ministers have privately warned Starmer that cutting the commitment would be a moral and strategic error, with two signatories publicly identified as Gareth Thomas and Fleur Anderson.
- The Independent reports officials expect a £850m pledge, a 15% cut, while the Guardian says £800m is under discussion, a potential 20% reduction.
- Campaign groups estimate severe health impacts, with the ONE campaign linking a £150m drop to about 255,000 additional deaths and other aid groups warning up to 340,000 if the pledge falls to £800m.
- The UK remains the Global Fund’s third-largest donor and is set to co-host a 21 November fundraising event in South Africa, as experts highlight added strain after US funding was withheld and warn of particular risks to tuberculosis programs.