Labour's foreign aid cuts will result in reductions of as much as 90% in bilateral support the UK gives to some African countries, according to Foreign Office figures released in its annual report.

Analysis by Bond, the umbrella group for development charities, shows cuts of 90% for Mozambique and Malawi by 2029, 80% for Rwanda and Sierra Leone, and 49% for Somalia.

Bond's chief executive, Romilly Greenhill, said: 'By slashing UK aid funding to countries like Ethiopia, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Sierra Leone and Uganda, this Labour government is abandoning communities on the frontlines of conflict and the climate crisis and risks plunging these countries' populations into poverty and instability.'

Keir Starmer's government announced deep reductions to overseas aid last year to fund increases in the defence budget, prompting the resignation of Anneliese Dodds as development minister.

Part of Labour's approach has been to shift focus to funding multilateral donors such as the World Bank, which it argues is a more efficient use of straitened resources.

Explaining the cuts in a written statement to parliament in March, Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said: 'In a range of countries, we will transition away from spending high levels of grant ODA, but our ambition and effort will remain high – delivering through modernised partnerships.'

Charities, however, say the scale of reduction in direct support will jeopardise vital projects. Save the Children's Lisa Wise said: 'Today's international budget allocations reflect what we already know – reductions in public investment in countries and children that need it most.'

Development Minister Jenny Chapman defended the cuts, stating: 'The world has changed. Crises in one part of the world now affect us all. We're making every pound of UK development spending work harder for people facing the toughest crises and for taxpayers at home.'

Source: www.theguardian.com