{
  "id": 14384849,
  "title": "UK loses 'leverage' to prevent atrocities in global wars",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/14/uk-loses-leverage-to-prevent-atrocities-in-global-wars-14384849",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-14T06:31:13.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The National UAE",
    "slug": "the-national-uae",
    "url": "https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/uk/2026/10/14/uk-loses-leverage-to-prevent-atrocities-in-global-wars/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The UK's decreasing foreign aid and diplomatic resources are making it more difficult for Britain to prevent atrocities in global conflicts, warn experts. Yasmine Ahmed, senior director at Amnesty International, expressed concerns that the UK government is not acting swiftly enough to stop war crimes like those in Sudan and Gaza. In January of last year, Britain's overseas aid budget was reduced from 0.5% to 0.3% of its gross national income, amid a global increase in conflicts. These cuts, under former Prime Minister Keir Starmer, are expected to decrease by 42% over four years, according to the Independent Commission for Aid Impact. One of the first FCDO units affected by the cuts was the one monitoring war crimes in Gaza. Ahmed expressed doubt that these aid cuts wouldn't impact the department's ability to conduct human rights assessments. The escalation of conflict between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis in Yemen, and the potential for war between Eritrea and Ethiopia, have raised questions about the UK's ability to respond to atrocities. Gordon Brown emphasized the need for the UK to take serious foreign policy steps beyond mere condemnation, saying, \"Sympathy is not prevention, condemnation is not policy.\" The UK's leverage in enforcing the laws of war and human rights on the global stage is dwindling, leading to a decline in the protection of civilians. British human rights lawyers and experts have called for loosening jurisdiction rules to allow the UK courts to prosecute a wider range of war crimes and hold companies accountable. The Atrocities Standing Group suggests using Magnitsky-style sanctions to freeze sovereign assets and repurpose them for victim compensation. However, the UK government is seeking to re-establish its global role amid the fragmentation of the international rules-based order.",
  "summary": "Cuts to the UK’s foreign aid and diplomatic arms are hampering Britain's ability to prevent atrocities as global conflicts increase, experts have warned. Yasmine Ahmed, senior director at Amnesty International , said the UK government was not acting fast enough to prevent war crimes, such as those allegedly committed in Sudan and Gaza . “Often atrocity prevention is not prioritised sufficiently…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The National Business",
        "title": "UK loses 'leverage' to prevent atrocities in global wars",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/14/uk-loses-leverage-to-prevent-atrocities-in-global-wars",
        "published": "2026-10-14T06:31:13.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}