Following the announcement that the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) will reduce its workforce by 25%, Bond, the UK network for NGOs in international development, has warned that further reductions could significantly undermine the delivery of UK Official Development Assistance (ODA). The cuts, amounting to 1,885 job losses so far, come before the FCDO has finalized its priorities and budget allocations for 2026/2027. Notably, the migration and conflict directorate, which employs around 100 civil servants, is set to be abolished by the end of the year, with its responsibilities absorbed by other parts of the department.
As part of the International Development Committee’s (IDC) ongoing inquiry into the future of UK aid, Bond’s Director of Policy and Advocacy, Gideon Rabinowitz, provided evidence on how budget and staffing reductions could affect the UK’s development work. Following this session, Sarah Champion MP, Chair of the IDC, sent a letter to the Foreign Secretary highlighting the potential consequences of the cuts on the FCDO’s ability to achieve its ODA objectives. Champion urged an immediate pause on staff restructuring until ministers clearly articulate the government’s aid priorities and the department presents a detailed restructuring plan, alongside a workforce strategy.
Bond has also called on the UK government to clarify how it intends to manage aid and development priorities with a smaller workforce and to provide greater transparency regarding its strategy for these reductions. Romilly Greenhill, CEO of Bond, emphasized that the pace of FCDO staff cuts could leave the UK unprepared to respond to rising global challenges. While some development priorities have been indicated, such as humanitarian aid, health, and climate, there remains no clear strategy for delivering these goals with a diminished team.
Greenhill further noted that the FCDO has been in a continuous state of flux since the rushed DFID-FCO merger in 2020, and accelerating cuts now could further erode expertise and capacity within the department. She stressed the urgent need for transparency on how UK aid objectives will be managed amidst workforce reductions, especially with major upcoming international engagements, including a 2026 development conference, the G20 in 2027, and the G8 in 2028. According to Bond, strengthening the FCDO is critical at a time when global instability is increasing.
