This year, the UN High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development is assessing global efforts in achieving Goal 10 (reducing inequality) and the UK government is reviewing its progress towards the SDGs. While the UK government has adopted some policies that can contribute to achieving Goal 10 globally, it is failing to prioritize the actions needed to reduce inequality between and within countries, lacking policy coherence, especially in taxation and international development.

In 2020, the SDG ‘decade of delivery’ will commence. This paper examines how the UK government can resume the leadership role that it played in the design of the 2030 Agenda, starting with the recognition that achieving Goal 10 is essential to its realization. It makes recommendations for how UK aid can be used to tackle extreme poverty and inequality globally.