Oxfam scandal: what is the future for UK foreign aid?

In Depth: Theresa May has not cut the overseas relief budget - yet

Western aid agencies have a long and complicated history in Africa
African countries are among the main recipients of foreign aid from the UK
(Image credit: Albert Gonzalez Farran/AFP/Getty Image)

Revelations that Oxfam workers paid for prostitutes during Haiti’s 2010 earthquake have reopened a long-standing debate about whether the UK should cut the foreign aid budget.

So far, Theresa May has said she will not abandon the UK’s commitment to spend 0.7% of national income on foreign aid, despite pressure from within her party in response to the scandal. The Guardian notes that the commitment is a legal obligation.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
Explore More