(Photo: Christian Aid)
A trio of Christian charities have condemned plans by the British government to cut its aid budgets, warning that millions will die as a result.
The government has said that it intends to reduce aid spending to 0.3 per cent of Gross National Income (GNI) by 2027, which dated back to February 2025 would represent a cut of around £5.5bn.
Tearfund, CAFOD and Christian Aid, all of which have received substantial funding from the government, have condemned the decision.
Sam Perriman, head of public policy at Tearfund, said his organisation was “deeply concerned that the shift in spending and the impact of cuts will mean millions of communities living in extreme poverty are made even more vulnerable and left without access to the resources they desperately need to survive”.
By reducing aid and climate funding “millions of avoidable deaths” are now likely, Tearfund said.
These sentiments were echoed by CAFOD and Christian Aid.
CAFODs director of Advocacy, Neil Thorns, said, “Today is not a good day for the UK’s global reputation, and it’s the wrong time for the government to be breaking its manifesto pledge to be a global climate leader.”
Christian Aid’s head of UK advocacy, Jennifer Larbie, went further, saying, “Today’s deep cuts to the aid budget are a political choice to boost the defence budget at President Trump’s behest — one that the world’s most vulnerable people will pay for with their lives and livelihoods.”
In its 2024/25 annual report, Tearfund confirmed that it received nearly a third of its income (£26.5m out of £80.2m) from both national and international government grants.
Christian Aid said that just over a quarter of its income in 2024/25 came from “institutional” sources.
CAFOD’s report for 2024/25 stated that its income was £56.2m, of which nearly a quarter (£13.5m) came from “charitable activities …. thanks to enhanced funding from governments and other institutional donors”.
