No UK aid for flood-stricken Sri Lanka, but £millions for Gaza: UK governance grievously skewed

𝑵𝒐 𝑼𝑲 𝒂𝒊𝒅 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒇𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒅-𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒌𝒆𝒏 𝑺𝒓𝒊 𝑳𝒂𝒏𝒌𝒂, 𝒂 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒎𝒆𝒓 𝑩𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒔𝒉 𝑪𝒐𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒚, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 £𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝑮𝒂𝒛𝒂: 𝑮𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒏𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝑼𝑲 𝒊𝒔 𝒈𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒗𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒍𝒚 𝒔𝒌𝒆𝒘𝒆𝒅

As far as I can see, although Sri Lanka declared a state of emergency and appealed for international aid on November 29, no specific UK aid announcements for this disaster have been made to date. This for a former British Colony!

Yet, contrast with the UK supporting Gaza, where there is no such historic association: to December 2025, cumulative aid since October 2023 exceeds £500 million, including cash, in-kind donations (e.g., food, tents, medical kits), airdrops, and maritime/land corridor support.

From 2009 to 2022, the UK provided approximately £1.2–1.3 billion in all forms (cash ~80%, in-kind ~20%). This is a conservative estimate, with c.70 per cent going to Gaza. (Sources: UK House of Commons Library briefing (2025), FCDO historical data)

We need urgent change in the governance of the UK that adresses such an imbalance in the way we share our resources internationally.