£5bn UK overseas aid cuts cannot be challenged in court, say government lawyers | Politics
By: Patrick Wintour Diplomatic editor | Published: 2025-06-20 06:00:00 | Source: www.theguardian.com
Cuts of £5bn to the UK overseas aid budget cannot be challenged in the courts, government lawyers have said, even though ministers have no plan to return spending to the legal commitment of 0.7 % of UK gross national income (GNI).
The assertion by Treasury solicitors that ministers are immune from legal challenge over aid cuts comes in preliminary exchanges with the aid advocacy group One Campaign. It is the first step in what could prove a highly embarrassing judicial review.
In the spring statement in March the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, said she was slashing aid from 0.5% to 0.3 % of GNI. The international development minister, Jenny Chapman, recently said in a Guardian interview that this level of spending was the new normal.
The 40% cut, due to be imposed by April 2027, is being…
