Home β€Ί Minister Scorecards β€Ί Yvette Cooper
βš–οΈ Independent Assessment: This scorecard is an independent public accountability assessment. It is not an official government publication.
Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs

Yvette
Cooper

Minister Scorecard Β· Watchlist

How her decisions are impacting your household in 2026/27

View Budget Impact Compare Ministers
Last updated: 14 May 2026 Β· Data sources: FCDO, HM Treasury, OBR, House of Commons Library
Overall Score
54 /100
⚠ Watchlist
πŸ’° Household Cost Impact +Β£16/mo
πŸ“Š Budget Delivery Score 53%
βœ“ Promise Delivery 47%
⚑ Fiscal Efficiency 5/10
πŸ‘₯ Public Confidence 38%
About the Scoring System β†’
Section β‘ 
What Yvette Cooper's FCDO Costs Your Household
Breakdown of all FCDO spending and policy changes impacting the average household in 2026/27.
Policy / Programme 2025/26 (Actual) 2026/27 (Planned) YOY Change Per Household/Month
🌍Official Dev Assistance (FCDO) £11.2bn £12.1bn +£0.9bn +£5.40
πŸ›οΈFCDO Operating Costs Β£2.4bn Β£2.8bn +Β£0.4bn +Β£2.40
✈️Overseas Security Support £2.8bn £3.2bn +£0.4bn +£4.80
🀝Multilateral Contributions £2.1bn £2.3bn +£0.2bn +£1.20
🌱Climate Diplomacy Fund £0.2bn £0.4bn +£0.2bn +£2.20
TOTAL HOUSEHOLD IMPACT +Β£16.00/mo
Sources: FCDO Annual Report 2025, HM Treasury, OBR Economic and Fiscal Outlook May 2026
Cumulative FCDO Household Cost Over Time
Β£0 Β£10 Β£13 Β£16 21/22 22/23 23/24 24/25 25/26 26/27 Β£16/mo
FCDO spending has grown from Β£8/month per household in 2021/22 to Β£16/month in 2026/27 β€” doubling in five years.
Section β‘‘
Promises vs Reality
What Yvette Cooper committed to as Foreign Secretary β€” and what actually happened.
Promise Made

"We will be a constructive force for peace globally."

What Happened

UK failed to broker ceasefire in Sudan. Gaza conflict: UK abstained in 4 UN votes. Peace mediation budget cut 18%.

Impact

The UK's global standing as a peacemaker has been undermined. Abstentions on Gaza votes drew international criticism.

βœ• FAILED
Promise Made

"We will restore the 0.7% aid target within this parliament."

What Happened

ODA remains at 0.5% GNI. FCDO budget under Treasury pressure. No timeline for restoration to the 0.7% target.

Impact

Development partners and NGOs warn of lasting damage to UK's development influence while aid gap grows.

βœ• FAILED
Promise Made

"We will pursue a modern, values-led foreign policy."

What Happened

Human rights framing applied to China trade talks but commercial interests overrode in 3 cases. Saudi arms sales resumed after temporary pause.

Impact

The resumption of Saudi arms sales directly contradicts values-led foreign policy claims and drew cross-party criticism.

~ PARTIAL
View All Promises & Commitments β†’
Section β‘’
Key Performance Indicators
10 core metrics tracked against Yvette Cooper's stated targets for 2026/27.
🌍
ODA % GNI
Target: 0.7%
0.5%
FAILED
FCDO 2026
πŸ•ŠοΈ
Peace Mediations
Target: 3
1
FAILED
FCDO 2026
🀝
Diplomatic Missions
Target: 180
176
OFF TRACK
FCDO 2026
🌑️
Climate Diplomacy
Target: Leading
Moderate
OFF TRACK
FCDO 2026
πŸ”’
Arms Exports Controls
Target: Stricter
Relaxed
FAILED
DIT 2026
πŸ’Ό
Trade Agreements
Target: 4 new
1 new
OFF TRACK
FCDO 2026
🌐
UN Security Council
Target: Active
Active
ON TRACK
UN Records
πŸ“Š
FCDO Efficiency
Target: -5% cost
+17%
FAILED
FCDO 2026
🌍
Sanctions Effectiveness
Target: Improved
Improving
OFF TRACK
OFSI 2026
🀝
G7 Coordination
Target: Strong
Strong
ON TRACK
G7 Records
Section β‘£
FCDO Spending Breakdown
How your taxes are allocated across FCDO programmes in 2026/27. Total managed: Β£20.8bn.
2026/27 FCDO Spending
Β£20.8bn
Total
ODA β€” 58%
Operations β€” 13%
Security β€” 15%
Multilateral β€” 11%
Other β€” 3%
Programme 2026/27 Budget YOY Change
Official Development AssistanceΒ£12.1bn+8.0%
FCDO Operating CostsΒ£2.8bn+16.7%
Overseas Security SupportΒ£3.2bn+14.3%
Multilateral ContributionsΒ£2.3bn+9.5%
Climate Diplomacy FundΒ£0.4bn+100%
TOTAL FCDO EXPENDITUREΒ£20.8bn+12.4%
Source: FCDO Annual Report 2025, HM Treasury Spending Review 2025, OBR May 2026
Explore Full Spending Breakdown β†’
Section β‘€
Questions the Public Are Asking
The most searched questions about Yvette Cooper as Foreign Secretary β€” answered with data.
Why is the UK's aid budget still below 0.7% GNI? +
The UK legally committed to spending 0.7% of gross national income on overseas development aid. This was cut to 0.5% by the Conservative government in 2021 due to Covid pressures. Despite Labour's pledge to restore it, the Treasury has resisted, citing fiscal constraints. FCDO currently spends approximately Β£12.1bn β€” around 0.5% GNI. No timeline for restoration has been set by the current administration.
What is the UK doing about the Gaza conflict? +
The UK abstained on four key UN Security Council votes relating to the Gaza conflict, drawing criticism from humanitarian organisations and opposition MPs. The Foreign Secretary has called for a ceasefire and increased humanitarian access, but critics argue the UK's position is weakened by its continued arms export licences and reluctance to impose further sanctions. The UK has provided Β£100m in humanitarian aid to Gaza.
Why were Saudi arms sales resumed? +
A temporary pause on certain arms export licences to Saudi Arabia was lifted following a government review. The decision was justified on strategic partnership grounds, citing UK-Saudi trade agreements worth an estimated Β£2.8bn. Human rights organisations condemned the reversal, arguing it contradicts the government's stated values-led foreign policy and potentially breaches UK obligations under the Arms Trade Treaty.
What is the Commonwealth and what does FCDO do for it? +
The Commonwealth is a 56-member association of mostly former British territories, representing 2.5 billion people. FCDO manages the UK's relationship with Commonwealth nations through diplomatic missions, development aid, trade facilitation, and shared governance standards. The UK contributes to the Commonwealth Secretariat and Commonwealth Development Corporation. FCDO's Commonwealth engagement budget accounts for approximately Β£340m of its total 2026/27 spending.
How does the UK compare to other G7 nations on overseas development? +
The UK at 0.5% GNI is below the UN 0.7% target and falls behind Germany (0.6%) and France (0.55%) among G7 peers. Japan, Italy and Canada spend proportionally less. The UK was once a global leader in development spending and met the 0.7% target from 2013 to 2020. Restoration to 0.7% would require approximately Β£4.4bn in additional annual spending.
Public Sentiment
Approve 38%
Disapprove 49%
No change 9%
Better 4%
Source: YouGov May 2026 Β· n=4,200
Have Your Say
How has the UK's foreign policy impacted your household?
Significantly worse off55%
Somewhat worse off27%
No change13%
Better off5%
Britain Needs Us community poll Β· May 2026 Β· n=14,820
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Yvette Cooper β€” 54/100 WATCHLIST
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