CARE International UK reaction to the Spring Statement

“Today, the Government has chosen those with the fewest resources – both in the UK and overseas – to shoulder the burden of its efforts to balance the books. These decisions will not build the fairer society the Government promised when it campaigned for ‘change’ less than a year ago.

“The 2021 cuts to UK aid – justified by the previous government as ‘temporary’ – have been exacerbated and cemented by Labour. This amounts to more than just a broken manifesto pledge, it undermines Britain’s standing in the world, global health, peace and security. And make no mistake: it will be deadly. The communities we work with could have life-saving support slashed as soon as next month. Analysis suggests these latest aid cuts could lead to as many as 600,000 preventable deaths.

“Whether it’s austerity or aid cuts, evidence shows that cuts to public spending impact women and girls first and worst. With a volatile environment the Government should be looking towards a fairer and more flexible approach to fiscal rules, rather than an ironclad adherence to them.

“Decades of evidence shows that when half of the world’s population are held back, we undermine our ability to tackle the very conflicts that are driving our need for increased defence. As women’s rights are being rolled back in a quarter of the world’s countries, values and strategy must go hand-in-hand. We urge the Government to reverse the aid cuts and commit to spending at least 20% of Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) budget directly on gender equality – to protect women and girls from these decisions.”