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Ministers could change the law to cut Britain’s foreign aid budget as part of sweeping economic reforms.
The current rate of 0.7 percent of GDP enshrined in legislation by the Coalition Government in 2015, but the current administration wants to cut it to 0.5 percent.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak is set to outline a series of economic moves tomorrow when he presents a review of spending on UK aid getting through the pandemic.
Boris Johnson is believed to have approved a temporary cut for just one year, but altering the law would allow the target to be lowered more permanently.
The UK has previously said that it would cut its global aid budget by £ 2.9bn this year due to the economic impact of the coronavirus crisis, but that the 0.7% commitment to international development would still be met.
The legal change, first reported by the BBC, comes as politicians and church leaders express concern over the plans.
Former Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson became the last to do so today, calling the proposal a “bad economy.”
Chancellor Rishi Sunak is set to outline a series of economic moves tomorrow when he presents a review of UK aid spending getting through the pandemic
Politicians and church leaders have raised concerns about the plans, with former Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson calling the proposal a “bad economy.”
Writing in the Times, Ms Davidson, a former critic of Boris Johnson, said: ‘The UK has always believed in taking its burden on the world. When famine or a natural disaster hits, Britain helps.
“We are one of the largest educators of girls on the planet, we support the largest vaccine programs, and we do more to return war-torn land to civilian use through demining programs than any other nation except the United States.
“This is not a simple charity, it also benefits us. Countries with healthy, educated and literate populations, and without large tracts of unusable land, have more jobs, greater resilience and are more stable.
“They are less likely to fall to war or home to terrorists and more likely to become larger, more reliable suppliers and consumers for commerce.”
The MSP joins former Prime Ministers David Cameron and Tony Blair in warning against the move, while Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby has also made a significant intervention.
Welby told The Observer: ‘A global recovery from the economic consequences of the pandemic requires a global response. Maintaining our commitment to help is a strong sign that the UK is a trusted partner for long-term economic, social, environmental and educational progress around the world. ‘
Cameron, who oversaw the country meeting the 0.7% target for the first time in 2013, said abandoning it would be a “moral, strategic and political mistake.”
And Blair said that foreign aid, and the 0.7% target, had been a “great achievement of British soft power” and had saved millions of lives in Africa by reducing deaths from malaria and HIV.
Last week, the prime minister’s official spokesman drew attention to the fact that legislation enshrining the 0.7% target in UK law explicitly recognizes that it cannot always be met.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, has also made a significant intervention, telling the Observer: “ Maintaining our commitment to aid is a strong sign that the UK is a trusted partner for economic, social, environmental and educational advancement. long-term around the world. ”
Meanwhile, the coronavirus has put a strain on the public purse and the government has spent billions to keep the economy going.
Chancellor Dominic Raab was questioned about the proposed change in the Commons today.
SNP MP Neil Gray asked if the time had come to be considering cuts to UK budget aid given President-elect Joe Biden’s commitment to increased aid spending.
Mr Raab replied: “Actually, we constantly show that we are a leading, if not a leading, aid country. That will continue.
Also, what will be important to the United States, we indicate the increase in defense spending, which shows that we are a reliable ally and all the polls that we have had, and have had, with the incoming leadership show. There are huge opportunities on climate change, at Covid, to further strengthen the relationship. ‘
