The UK may have cut up to £140m of its foreign aid spending because of a controversial decision to count its donations of surplus Covid-19 vaccines towards that fund, a joint investigation with The Independent can reveal.
The decision comes after contentious new guidance that allows 30 rich nations to report last year’s donations of excess vaccines – doses they bought but did not need – as foreign aid, funds reserved for the economic development or welfare of lower-income countries. These guidelines may even allow some countries to claim back substantially more money than they actually paid.
