Official Development Assistance

Baroness Gohir Excerpts

Tuesday 13th January 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Gohir (CB)]

My Lords, the UK Government have chosen to withdraw a vital safety net from the world’s most vulnerable people at a time of unprecedented global instability. There are currently around 59 active conflicts worldwide, the highest since the Second World War, yet the response has been to cut aid.

The Government’s own assessments show that women and girls are bearing the brunt. These cuts are costing lives and these deaths are preventable. Reducing funding for maternity care is leading to more women dying in childbirth and pregnancy. The closure of women’s refuges is leaving women exposed to gender-based violence. Fewer girls are attending school, increasing risks of child marriage, FGM and sexual exploitation. When girls and women lose access to education and livelihoods, whole societies become less stable. Is the Minister therefore able to share which countries have been most impacted by the aid cuts?

I understand that the Government needed more funding for defence, but why not take this money from elsewhere? Why take it from life-saving support for women and girls? Does the Minister accept that this has damaged the UK’s global reputation? How can the Government credibly champion women and girls abroad, particularly through the appointment of a women and girls envoy, at the very same time that they made the cuts of funding to women and girls? If the Government are worried about public opinion, they could provide more information on how the funds are spent and their impact.

The Government are capable of U-turns. I hope they do another one and restore aid before further preventable harm is done.