The UK's overseas aid budget is at its lowest level in decades, with cuts having far-reaching consequences for people and communities around the world. But increasing aid spending would mean making difficult choices at home too. With his first 100 days drawing to a close, how should Andy Burnham be looking to make foreign aid spending work? And how can he make sure that money has the greatest impact?

To dive into these questions, Nesta CEO Ravi Gurumurthy was joined by Kate Hampton, CEO of the Children's Investment Fund Foundation, on the Policy Fix podcast's deep-dive series: Andy Burnham's first 100 days.

They discuss what the UK's reduced aid spending means in practice, from its impact on children, women and climate action to the risks of doing nothing. They also explore how Burnham's government could make the case for increasing aid spending at a time when there are competing pressures on public money at home.

The conversation looks at how the UK could use its influence to put international development higher up the global agenda, including through the G7 and G20. They also explore how to get better value from aid spending - from reforming international finance and tackling debt to finding better ways to deliver and scale what works.

So, as Andy Burnham approaches the end of his first 100 days, what should he do to make UK aid work harder? Listen to the full episode to find out.

Chapters
00:00 Introduction
00:50 Why development matters to a domestically focused PM
03:15 Has the UK lost influence after the aid cuts?
04:26 Beyond the 0.7% target
06:30 Reforming global finance and tackling debt
12:23 Can finance reform make up for aid cuts?
15:12 Aid in fragile and conflict-hit countries
18:21 Getting money out before disasters strike
20:43 How energy shocks and trade barriers hit the poorest
24:18 What the G7 and G20 actually do
30:36 What the UK should put on the G20 agenda
33:06 How to run an ambitious G20 presidency
35:44 Making the case for development at home
39:55 The role of philanthropy
42:33 The one thing Burnham should do

Liked the episode? Rate, review, subscribe – and share it with your network.

Watch the full series on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfr-pIsrx5ko
Find out more about Nesta: https://www.nesta.org.uk