Nearly 200 charities are urging Boris Johnson to keep his commitment to the world's poorest and not cut international aid in the middle of a global pandemic. Household names including Save the Children,  Greenpeace UK, UNICEF and Friends of the Earth have written to the prime minster to warn that a planned aid cut "could seriously jeopardise the UK’s long term global COVID-19 response". The government is reportedly considering plans to drop a longstanding commitment to contribute 0.7 per cent of gross national income (GNI) to aid, downgrading it to just 0.5 per cent to save money. But the charities say that the Covid-19 pandemic looks set to push 115 million people back into extreme poverty around the world and that the aid is needed more than ever. The prime minister is being urged to think of the UK's international standing, with Britain in the global spotlight next year when it hosts the G7 and COP 26 summits. "Next year the UK has an opportunity to lead the international response as the Prime Minister hosts the G7 and COP 26 climate summit. "Abandoning the 0.7 per cent aid commitment would surrender that opportunity and diminish the UK’s standing. It would deeply damage manifesto commitments to help end preventable child deaths and get every girl an education.