FOREIGN aid cuts will lead to “tragic, wholly avoidable” deaths, campaigners warned today. 

The Foreign Office confirmed on Tuesday that bilateral support for certain countries will be slashed while “underperforming”  aid organisations will also face cuts.

The government announced in February it would cut development assistance aid from 0.5 per cent of gross national income to 0.3 per cent in 2027.

The cut will fund a rise in defence spending — set to increase from 2.3 to 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2027, with a further boost to 3 per cent expected in the next parliament.

Women and girls’ education, along with projects across Africa, will bear the brunt of the cuts set out by the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).

Spending on education, gender and equality will fall by £200 million (42 per cent) under the plans. Africa will see aid decrease from £1.6 billion to £1.4bn. 

International development minister Baroness Jenny Chapman claimed the government is “modernising” its approach to international development, adding that “every pound must work harder for UK taxpayers and the people we help.”

“The UK is moving towards a new relationship with developing countries, becoming partners and investors, rather than acting as a traditional aid donor,” she said.

Nick Dearden, director of Global Justice Now, said: “These reckless cuts to foreign aid will lead to tragic, wholly avoidable deaths.

“Cutting aid to its lowest level in a generation forces the poorest in the world to pay the price while the wealth of the super-rich and corporations grows day by day. 

“Instead of pushing taxpayer money into the coffers of arms corporations, the government should be taxing wealth to invest in our communities and fulfil our international obligations.”

Funding for Gaza, Ukraine, and Sudan will be protected, the FCDO said.

The World Bank’s International Development Association will meanwhile receive £1.98bn over the next three years.

Liz McKean, of War on Want said: “Dressing up further cuts to the UK’s already insufficient aid budget as ‘modernising’ doesn’t fool us. 

“This won’t hide the blunt fact that this government has lost its moral compass, turning its back on the poorest communities in the world.

 “As for funnelling aid through the World Bank, this is no solution. 

“The World Bank has long been criticised for ill-thought-out initiatives — forcing global South countries to implement austerity, privatisation and one-size-fits-all development projects that do not serve local needs.”