Girls put ‘at risk’ as cash to help end FGM in Britain is reduced by 84%

With statistics hinting at a government U-turn, charities fear thousands more will be affected

Funding to tackle female genital mutilation, an issue championed by former prime minister Theresa May, has been reduced by 84% since 2015 according to new figures that suggest her successor Boris Johnson has changed priorities.

The money allocated to help stamp out FGM in the UK has fallen from 2,718,000 for the year to April 2016, shortly after May outlined her ambition to stop the practice, to 432,000 for the 12 months to April 2020.