UK Foreign Office rushed £4.2bn of aid cuts, official audit finds

Support slashed despite warnings about impact, with offices told not to discuss plans with local partners, says National Audit Office report

The British government forced through 4.2bn in aid cuts so quickly it had little time to plan the impact they would have, or consult partners, according to an official audit.

The National Audit Office (NAO) said bilateral spending - aid given directly to another government - faced some of the harshest cuts by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) - 53% compared with less than a third of the overall aid budget - because of political and legal commitments to multilateral spending.