Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Patrick Wintour Diplomatic editor

Spending foreign aid budget on refugees in UK is ‘wreaking havoc’, says watchdog

United Kingdom Refugee Home Office FCDO
People are brought ashore after being picked up in the Channel by a Border Force vessel on 17 January
Official statistics show 27.9% of the total UK aid budget in 2023 was spent on supporting the first-year housing and food costs of refugees. Photograph: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

The UK government’s decision to use the overseas aid budget to pay for supporting refugees in Britain is “wreaking havoc” with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office’s development partnerships, an official government watchdog said on Wednesday after it was revealed that £4.3bn was diverted to support refugees in 2023.

Official statistics show 27.9% of the total UK aid budget in 2023 was spent on supporting the first-year housing and food costs of refugees in Britain, an increase of £600m.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
17% of Young Adults Have Gone Into Debt to Date — How Much Is Romance Costing Now?
Finding love has never been free, but dating costs are becoming a serious financial concern for younger Americans. A September 2026 survey found that 17% of Gen Z and millennials have taken on debt to maintain a lifestyle with someone they were dating. Between restaurant bills, transportation, entertainment, and appearance-related…
Budget and the Bees
Budget and the Bees
California cement worker turned discarded bottles into 200 desert art trees along Route 66
California cement worker Elmer Long transformed discarded glass bottles and scrap metal into an unusual art forest along Route 66. His two-acre Bottle Tree Ranch, featuring around 200 trees and over 1,000 bottles, became a popular tourist attraction. As Route 66 celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2026, Long's family continues…
The Times of India
The Times of India
Apollo 16 Astronaut Says UFOs Are Literally Demons and Claims God Proved It Over a Morning Breakfast
Apollo 16 astronaut Charlie Duke says a breakfast conversation confirmed his belief that UFOs are demonic, while NASA evidence does not support either extraterrestrial or supernatural explanations.
International Business Times UK
International Business Times UK
Plastic Additive Marketed as Safer Phthalate Swap Linked to Slightly Smaller Newborns in 6,617 U.S. Pregnancies
Higher levels of DINCH, a plastic additive used to replace phthalates, were linked to smaller newborns in 6,617 U.S. pregnancies. Here is what the study shows.
Medical Daily
Medical Daily
South Carolina woman says she filmed a man pouring what looks like sugar into her gas tank, and this time she got his license plate
Lights, camera, action!
We Got This Covered
We Got This Covered
‘Like selling wolves from Yellowstone’: how protected US sharks are being sold off to foreign aquariums
While anglers cannot take endangered sand tiger sharks, a loophole lets private firms catch the fish to sell abroad, profiting from Delaware Bay’s conservation success
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.
Download on the AppStore Get it on Google Play