The Chancellor has been told to change her approach by senior members of the House of Commons.
Labour is split on foreign aid (Image: Getty)
Sneior Labour MPs have demanded that Rachel Reeves make a major U-turn on foreign aid. A letter, signed by the Chair of the House of Commons Defence Committee Tan Dhesi, former business and Africa minister Gareth Thomas, ex-treasury advisor Emily Darlington, former minister Fleur Anderson, as well as Dr Beccy Cooper, the Chair of the all-party parliamentary group on Global Health and Security, told the Chancellor that she must establish a timetable to return development spending abroad to 0.7% of gross national income.
In February, the Government announced that it would increase defence spending by reducing the amount it spends on foreign aid. The Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, said at the time: “This investment means that the UK will strengthen its position as a leader in NATO and in the collective defence of our continent, and we should welcome that role. It is good for our national security.
Tan Dhesi (left) is one of the MPs who signed the letter (Image: Ian Vogler / Daily Mirror)
“It is also good for this Government’s defining mission to restore growth to our economy, and we should be optimistic about what it can deliver in those terms.”
He added that, in the short term, this could only be funded through “hard choices”.
Sir Keir said: “In this case, that means we will cut our spending on development assistance, moving from 0.5% of GNI today to 0.3% in 2027, fully funding our increased investment in defence.”
The letter to Ms Reeves, seen by The Independent, read: “At a time of mounting strain on the international rules-based order, the UK cutting development funding will weaken our soft power, increase the risk to our security and open wider opportunities for rogue regimes.
“We know you are focused rightly on a decade of national renewal, but our manifesto also recognised our international responsibilities as a member of the UN Security Council and the G7 to help reduce the poverty, climate change and instability that fuels global conflicts and increased migration.
Rachel Reeves will present her next Budget on Wednesday (Image: Getty)
“A definitive timetable to return development spending to just 0.7 per cent GNI would enable the FCDO to plan strategically, make temporary reductions, while maximising value for money for taxpayers.”
Sir Keir said earlier this year: “I am proud of our pioneering record on overseas development, and we will continue to play a key humanitarian role in Sudan, Ukraine and Gaza, tackling climate change and supporting multinational efforts on global health and challenges like vaccination.
“In recent years, the development budget was redirected towards asylum backlogs, paying for hotels, so as we are clearing that backlog at a record pace, there are efficiencies that will reduce the need to cut spending on our overseas programmes.
“None the less, it remains a cut, and I will not pretend otherwise. We will do everything we can to return to a world where that is not the case and to rebuild a capability on development.
“But at times like this, the defence and security of the British people must always come first. That is the No. 1 priority of this Government.”
