Ministers are considering scrapping a commitment to spend 80% of foreign aid on projects supporting gender equality, the Guardian has learned.
Critics warned the move could worsen the impact of Donald Trump’s rollback of funding for diversity and aid projects abroad, which has affected maternal and reproductive health services in developing countries.
The Conservative government committed in 2023 to ensuring that 80% of the Foreign Office’s bilateral aid programmes had a focus on gender equality by 2030.
Labour ministers reaffirmed the commitment earlier this year. Stephen Doughty, a junior Foreign Office minister, said ministers would continue to work towards the target in March, even after the government had announced it was cutting international aid from 0.5% to 0.3% of GDP to spend more on defence.
Under the target, 80% of aid spending must go to programmes that have gender equality as a component by 2030, though it does not need to be the main focus.
David Lammy, the foreign secretary, told MPs last month that he could not “commit to decisions made by the last government” and it was “for us to look at this afresh”.
The government spent £15.3bn in aid in 2023, the latest year for which final figures are available. Of this, £10bn was bilateral aid spent directly on projects in developing countries, rather than multilateral institutions such as the UN.
Provisional figures suggest the UK’s aid spending fell to £14.1bn in 2024, an 8% decrease on the previous year, with £11.3bn going to bilateral aid.
A government impact assessment said in July that the government’s aid cuts meant that in Africa – which receives half of the UK’s bilateral aid – spending was being reduced in women’s health and emergency response in countries including the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zimbabwe and Mozambique.
The assessment warned that “reductions to health spending risk an increase in disease burden and ultimately in deaths, impacting in particular those living in poverty, women, children and people with disabilities”.
It said there would be cuts to girls’ education programmes in countries including Ethiopia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria and to projects encouraging women’s participation in peace processes, with conflicts including Ukraine and Sudan supported at a reduced scale.
Critics warned that scrapping the 80% commitment could compound the impact of the US and UK aid cuts and exacerbate what feels like “a global war on women”.
Labour has promised to prioritise women and girls in government including by promoting sexual and reproductive health and rights abroad, and tackling gender-based violence. Harriet Harman, the former acting Labour leader, was appointed UK special envoy for women and girls in March 2025.
Sarah Champion, the Labour chair of the international aid committee, said: “The UK’s commitments to women and girls are not just words on a page, they’re a lifeline that gives hope to some of the poorest and most vulnerable on the planet.
“The Trump administration immediately cut all international maternal and reproductive health support, and just last month, burned contraception it had bought for low-income countries. Now is the time for the UK to step up our commitment to gender programming, not step away.
“When we look at conflicts, climate impact and nutrition it is always women and girls who bear the brunt. Our aid programming gives them hope and opportunities in what feels like a global war on women. We can’t take that away from them now.”
Alex Farley, a policy manager at Bond, the UK network for NGOs, said that “at a time when women’s rights globally are under attack and the US has been gutting all gender equality and diversity programming, it’s definitely very worrying to see the UK following suit.”
“Gender equality programming has already been put at disproportionate risk in the government’s cuts to UK aid. Upholding the 80% commitment, alongside stand-alone gender programmes, is really important for the UK to send a signal showing that it’s committed to tackling gender inequality rather than stepping back.”
Amelia Whitworth, head of policy, campaigns and youth at Plan International UK, said: “Anti-gender movements are growing, humanitarian and climate crises are intensifying, and girls and women are being hit hardest. In a world where girls’ rights are being rolled back, the UK has to hold the line.
“With USAID slashing over 80% of its programmes – including funding for gender and DEI initiatives – and European donors retreating, the need for the UK to uphold its gender equality commitments has never been greater.”
A Foreign Office spokesperson confirmed that the government was “carefully reviewing the viability of existing commitments” after cutting aid spending to 0.3%.
“As the foreign secretary has said, women and girls are a fundamental priority,” the spokesperson said. “From appointing a dedicated special envoy for women and girls to improving energy access for 15 million women worldwide, the UK has demonstrated how integrating gender equality into its international work can transform lives. We will continue to champion the rights of women and girls globally and ensure that gender equality is embedded across all the department’s priorities.”
