Labour MP Stephen Doughty has confirmed that the UK is providing £5 million in humanitarian support for Nepal following catastrophic flooding along the Nepal-China border, while British officials work to support nationals affected by the disaster.
Doughty said he had been working closely with Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office teams in the UK, Nepal and China as the response to the emergency continues.
Writing on X, he said:
“Today I have been working closely with our @FCDOGovUK teams in the UK, Nepal and China who are responding to the catastrophic flooding on the Nepal-China border.
“We’re supporting British nationals & have immediately allocated £5 million in humanitarian support for Nepal.”
The flooding, which struck on 26 August following a glacier collapse in the Himalayan border region, has caused widespread destruction and triggered a major international rescue and humanitarian operation. Hundreds of people have died and thousands have been reported missing as rescue teams continue to search affected areas.
The UK Government has also deployed a specially trained Rapid Deployment Team to Nepal to reinforce British Embassy staff and provide additional support to British nationals and their families.
The team was due to arrive in Kathmandu on 29 August and is working with local authorities as part of the wider response. The deployment comes alongside the Government’s £5 million package for humanitarian relief and recovery, as Labour Home reported when the Rapid Deployment Team was first announced.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham described the scenes emerging from the region as “devastating” and said the Government would do everything possible to support British nationals affected.
“My thoughts are with all those affected, including the families and loved ones of British nationals missing in this tragedy,” the Prime Minister said.
“We will do everything we can to support British nationals impacted in the region and are in touch with the relevant authorities to offer support.”
The disaster has caused severe damage to homes, roads, power infrastructure and communications across parts of Nepal and Tibet, with more than 90,000 people affected according to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
International assistance has been mobilised from countries including Britain, India, China, South Korea and the United States, alongside support from the United Nations and other humanitarian organisations.
Doughty’s intervention highlights the UK Government’s dual response to the crisis: providing urgent humanitarian assistance to Nepal while supporting British nationals caught up in one of the region’s most serious natural disasters in recent years.
