Andy Burnham, now UK prime minister, is facing pressure over his decision to cut the international aid budget further to fund a £2 bus fare cap, continuing a trend begun under Sir Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves of diverting development spending towards other priorities such as defence. The article, written by a former member of the International Development Committee, argues this is a false economy, warning that reduced aid spending carries hidden long-term costs for both the UK and developing nations, even as ministers juggle competing demands including NHS dentistry, prisons, education, a National Care Service and higher defence spending.

The piece sets out several consequences of the cuts: the UK's withdrawal from the Pandemic Fund and abandonment of the Fleming Fund, which combats antimicrobial resistance, have weakened global capacity to detect and contain future disease outbreaks. The gutting of the Integrated Security Fund has shut down around a dozen counter-extremism programmes in Sudan, Somalia, Tunisia and Jordan, while scaled-back demining work by the Halo Trust and Mines Advisory Group has cost jobs and left unexploded ordnance risks unaddressed. UK bilateral aid to Africa has fallen by more than half, undermining British diplomatic influence and soft power, according to the article, which cites former foreign secretary David Lammy.