UK development minister vows to make foreign aid go further amid funding squeeze
UK development minister Kirsty McNeill reaffirmed Labour's pledge to eventually restore aid spending to 0.7% of national income, while offering no timetable and pledging to maximise the impact of current constrained resources.
Kirsty McNeill, the UK's development minister, has described herself as a strong believer in foreign aid, reaffirming Labour's manifesto commitment to eventually return aid spending to 0.7% of national income. She declined to set a timetable, saying only that this would happen once fiscal circumstances allow.
McNeill, a former adviser to Gordon Brown and a former senior executive at Save the Children, argued that more aid funding translates into greater impact. She said the current government, from the prime minister down, shares the same convictions that shaped Labour's 2024 election manifesto, even though aid spending was subsequently cut.
In a speech planned for Monday at the New Economics Foundation thinktank, McNeill will tell charities and campaigners that the government is making up to £15m available through its humanitarian crisis fund to support preventive measures in countries most at risk from El Niño. The funding would go toward practical measures such as vaccinating livestock and providing cash to farmers for supplies.
Aid spending currently stands at 0.3% of national income, a reduction that charities say has sharply cut UK bilateral support to some of the world's poorest countries. McNeill took over the role from Jenny Chapman, who succeeded Anneliese Dodds after Dodds resigned over the scale of the cuts.
McNeill said public concern centres on value for money and effectiveness rather than opposition to aid itself, pledging to make the most of current limited resources. She framed her role around five priority areas: health, climate, food, human and economic security, which would involve pushing for reform of international bodies handling UK aid and building targeted partnerships on specific issues.
McNeill has represented the Midlothian constituency since 2024 and has held her ministerial post since July. Her boss, foreign secretary Ed Miliband, has indicated he wants development to become a more central part of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's work.
