Bond’s reaction to ICAI’s report on the management of the UK aid spending target

The Independent Commission for Aid Impact (ICAI) has just published a report drawing on the latest figures from the 2025 Spending Review, which suggest a progressive reduction of expenditure on asylum-related costs to the UK aid budget over the next three years.

In reaction to the report launch, Bond’s Director of Policy and Advocacy, Gideon Rabinowitz, said: 

“Today’s information note confirms upcoming challenges for the management of UK aid with a drastically reduced budget. It’s deeply concerning that just 0.24% of GNI may remain for essential development programmes in 2027-28 because of continued high in-donor refugee costs. Refugees must be supported, but this funding should not be drawn from the UK aid budget. 

“We are also worried that despite private reassurances, we’ve yet to receive any official confirmation of an automatic return of falling refugee costs going back to the FCDO.

“ICAI is right to urge the government to squeeze maximum impact and value from what’s left, including by improving cross-government coordination. Every penny of UK aid must meet its legal purpose: reducing poverty and gender inequality for the world’s most marginalised communities. Any ‘modernised’ development strategy must stay rooted in the priorities of partner countries.”

ENDS. 

Notes for editors

• Bond is the UK network for organisations working in international development. Bond unites and supports a diverse network of over 350 civil society organisations from across the UK, and allies to help eradicate global poverty, inequality and injustice.
• You can read the full report from ICAI here. For media requests, please contact Gemma Roberts-Kinnear on 07990 511 784, or [email protected]
• https://icai.independent.gov.uk/ works to improve the quality of UK development assistance through robust, independent scrutiny. 
• For further information or interviews, please get in touch with Maryam Mohsin on [email protected] or call 07816191596.