The Government has announced sweeping reductions to international aid to the world's poorest nations, with overall aid budgets set to fall by 40 per cent in the coming year. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper outlined plans that will see assistance to African nations plummet dramatically, declining from £1.3billion annually to just £677 million across the next three years. Afghanistan, Myanmar and Lebanon will also experience significant funding reductions under the new arrangements. Only three countries worldwide will retain their current levels of UK development support, being Palestine, Ukraine and Sudan, in light of ongoing turmoil in these territories. TRENDING Stories Videos Your Say The dramatic scaling back of overseas aid follows Sir Keir Starmer's earlier decision to cut Britain's commitment from 0.5 per cent to 0.3 per cent of national income, freeing up resources for increased defence expenditure. Humanitarian crisis relief funding for emergencies such as armed conflicts and natural disasters will be trimmed by 15 per cent, bringing the annual budget to just under £300million. Climate finance will also face substantial reductions, dropping from £11.6billion over five years to £6billion across the next three years. Controversially, programmes focused on health, education and initiatives designed to safeguard women and girls will see their budgets nearly halved in the next financial year. Ministers have opted to shield contributions to multilateral bodies including the United Nations and World Health Organisation from the deepest cuts, instead targeting direct assistance to individual nations. The BBC World Service and British Council will both see their funding maintained, with the World Service receiving a modest budget increase. Ministers acknowledge concerns about the reception these reductions will receive from Labour backbenchers, with several MPs publicly criticising the proposals before the official announcement. There are also fears within government the cuts could further weaken Labour's standing among progressive voters, many of whom are already drifting towards the Green Party. LATEST DEVELOPMENTS Keir Starmer scrambles to deny migration U-turn rumours amid left-wing fury WATCH: Nigel Farage tells GB News that rejoining the EU is 'complete madness' Kemi Badenoch takes aim at Keir Starmer and Donald Trump: 'Britons have had enough of childish spat' Dr Beccy Cooper, who chairs the all-party parliamentary group on global health and security, warned the plans "put Britain and the world at risk". "Labour is, and always has been, a party of internationalism," she told Tyhe Times. "When we step back from our shared commitments, we lose both our strength and our standing in the world". She argued failing to support health systems in poorer nations would allow diseases to spread more rapidly. Former international development minister Gareth Thomas also cautioned that reducing aid risked alienating key allies and creating opportunities for regimes hostile to British values. Green Party spokesman Ellie Chowns, drawing on her experience working in conflict zones, said extreme poverty and instability create conditions for violence, with children and communities paying the ultimate price. Meanwhile, Save the Children's executive director George Graham condemned the Government's attempt to frame the cuts positively, saying it would "ring hollow for children losing access to lifesaving healthcare, education and protection". He pointed to the damage already inflicted by aid reductions over the past year, including the closure of anti-FGM programmes in Somalia and the shuttering of education projects in the Democratic Republic of Congo. "Deeper reductions are set to come just as global conflicts intensify and humanitarian needs surge around the world," he said. The charity leader emphasised the cuts were already harming children across multiple countries, with the situation set to worsen as further reductions take effect amid escalating crises worldwide. However, Development Minister Baroness Chapman of Darlington defended the approach, maintaining the reductions do not signal any fundamental change in Britain's commitment to international development. "When you have less money you have to prioritise leverage," she said, arguing officials had worked to concentrate resources where they would deliver the greatest results. Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter