UK criticised for ‘disastrous decision’ to cut health aid pledge by almost a third

Caregivers in Senegal. Critics say the UK’s reduced spend was a disappointing sign of the country’s wavering commitment to global health. Photograph: Nana Kofi Acquah/The Global Fund

Charities and MPs have criticised the UK for reducing the amount of money it gives to a major global health fund by almost a third, lambasting it as a “disastrous decision” that will cause preventable deaths and mean “a more dangerous world for us all”.

Britain will provide £1bn over the next three years to the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development office said today, a cut of £400m on its previous pledge in 2019.