UN official rebukes UK over Yemen aid cut

LONDON: The British government has decided to “balance the books on the backs of the starving people of Yemen,” in an act that will see tens of thousands die and damage the UK’s global influence, the head of the UN’s Office for Humanitarian Affairs has said.

In a rare direct criticism of a British government decision, Mark Lowcock — formerly a senior figure in the UK’s Department for International Development — said he was shocked by the decision to slash the country’s Yemen aid budget.