UK foreign aid spending

In 1970 the UN General Assembly agreed to an international foreign aid spending commitment of 0.7 percent of a country's gross national income. As this infographic shows, the UK failed to come close to this target until the country itself explicitly committed to the 0.7 percent level in 2013. Since then this figure has been met each year and was made UK law in 2015.

Last November though, as part of his Spending Review, UK Chancellor Sunak announced plans to reduce the country's commitment to 0.5 percent - a cut which would equate to over £4 billion. The move was met by significant backlash from MPs, including some senior members of the Conservative party.

Parliament is due to vote on legislation for the reduction, giving MPs a chance to vote against it and a substantial Tory rebellion has already formed - including former-PM Theresa May. The current economic situation led to the decision and Sunak has not set a date by which the 0.7 percent target would be restored - speaking to the BBC in November, the Chancellor said it would return "when fiscal circumstances allow".