Former Deputy Foreign Secretary Andrew Mitchell gives evidence to International Development Committee – Bond reaction
Today, Tuesday 25 March, former Deputy Foreign Secretary and former Minister for Development, Andrew Mitchell MP, gave evidence to Parliament’s International Development Committee on the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office’s (FCDO) approach to value for money.
During the session, Andrew Mitchell commented on how development is “a long-term issue” and warned that “stopping and starting development spending is bad value for money and for our national security”. He also recommended that the government should not drop the UK aid budget from 0.5% of GNI to 0.3% but reduce the budget gradually, “to 0.4% then 0.3%” from 2027. He also warned that bilateral development programmes will suffer the most as a result of the cuts, stating, “I fear bilateral programmes will miss out.”
In reaction, Romilly Greenhill, CEO of Bond, the UK network for NGOs, said:
We agree that defence, diplomacy and development all contribute to the UK’s national security, and the planned cuts to the UK aid budget is poor value for money and will undermine efforts to achieve long-term global stability. We saw with the previous UK aid cuts how stop-start funding disrupts development progress and is bad value for money in the long-term.
We urge the government to reverse the cuts or, at the very least, maintain UK aid at 0.5% of GNI over the next two years and dramatically reduce the amount of UK aid spent on asylum accommodation in the UK. This would help prevent a sudden drop in funding and mitigate some of the worst impacts of the cuts on the most marginalised people globally.
ENDS.
Notes for editors
- On Tuesday 25 February, the Prime Minister announced that the UK Official Development Assistance (ODA) will be reduced by 0.2 % of GNI, to fund an increase in defence spending from 2.3 to 2.5% of GDP by 2027. This cut will bring UK ODA as a percentage of GNI to 0.3%. Read Bond’s reaction.
- Read Bond’s briefing on how the government can limit the damage of the cuts to UK aid and development programmes.
- Read Bond’s briefing on the state of UK aid in 2024.
- Bond is the UK network for organisations working in international development. Bond unites and supports a diverse network of over 350 civil society organisations from across the UK, and allies to help eradicate global poverty, inequality and injustice.
- For further information or interviews please contact Jess Salter at [email protected] or call 07392972411.
