Britain will cut aid to Commonwealth countries that previously had bilateral programs from £546 million in 2024-25 to £131 million in 2028-29, an analysis of recent and projected aid figures shows. The cuts clash with warm praise for the group from King Charles and Prime Minister Andy Burnham this week.
Nigeria will take £68 million of the 2028-29 total, leaving £63 million to be shared among all the other countries. Even Nigeria's allocation is being halved, down from £137 million this year.
The figures emerged as the king attends the Commonwealth heads of government meeting in Antigua, which ends Wednesday. He told the gathering it was right to acknowledge the suffering and injustices of slavery, while Burnham's government fought to keep any discussion of reparations off the agenda.
The UK has sharply reduced its overall aid budget and has been scaling back support for fast-developing, middle-income countries such as India and Antigua. The Commonwealth cuts go much further, reaching many of the world's poorest nations and others weighed down by heavy debt.
Poorest nations face deep reductions
Sierra Leone, one of the least developed countries, will see its aid fall from nearly £30 million in 2024-25 to £5 million in 2028-29. The cut comes as the UK and Sierra Leone prepare to co-convene a strand of talks on climate adaptation at the Cop31 summit in Turkey next week.
Rwanda, where the previous British government had a scheme to send refugees, faces the same drop, from nearly £30 million to £5 million. Tanzania's aid will shrink from £60 million in 2025-26 to £5 million in 2028-29.
The Caribbean Development Team will lose more than half its funding, falling from over £98 million in 2025-26 to £45 million in 2026-27.
Nature funding squeezed
Experts say money for nature protection has been especially hard hit. At least 26 Commonwealth countries have been barred from the Darwin Initiative, a longstanding funding stream worth about £40 million a year.
Adrian Gahan, UK lead at the Campaign for Nature charity, pointed out that the king attended this week's launch of a Commonwealth nature initiative, yet the government made no financial contribution to it.
This week, the king attended the launch of the Commonwealth nature initiative, a major new effort to protect nature across Commonwealth countries,
Adrian Gahan, UK lead at the Campaign for Nature
Jean McLean of Oxfam GB said the cuts arrive as conflict, hunger and climate breakdown push global need to record levels, and that their toll would fall on families facing starvation and children denied healthcare and education.
The UK government has really dropped the ball when it comes to the aid budget at exactly the moment when conflict, humanitarian crises, hunger and climate breakdown are driving global need to record levels.
Jean McLean, Oxfam GB chief influencing officer
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office was approached for comment.
