UK’s new aid strategy condemned as ‘double whammy to world’s poor’

Liz Truss, foreign secretary, said the UK will use development as a key part of its foreign policy. Photograph: Bernd von Jutrczenka/AP

A new government white paper on UK aid has been condemned as a “double whammy to the world’s poor”.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office’s (FCDO) first strategy paper on overseas assistance since the merged department was formed and large-scale cuts were implemented in 2020, is dominated by a near halving of UK aid to multilateral bodies, including the UN the World Bank, and a renewed focus on aid as an adjunct to trade.