Letter to prime minister Boris Johnson urging a rethink of the DFID merger

Nearly 200 UK aid and development leaders have called on the government to reverse its decision to scrap DFID, stating that the move risks jeopardising the UK’s global Covid-19 response and the UK turning its back on the world’s poorest people.

Despite government claims, the UK humanitarian and development sector was not consulted about the plans to merge the Department for International Development and the Foreign Commonwealth Office.

Last week, the International Development Select Committee report for its inquiry, Effectiveness of UK Aid stated, “Our evidence is clear that UK aid has made major contributions to global development goals. DFID has a high international standing, built up over many years, for its excellence in managing and delivering development assistance, and its transparency and effectiveness.

Any reforms to current government systems and structures would potentially impact the fundamentals of what UK aid is spent on, who spends it most effectively, and ultimately undermine our reputation and influence overseas as a ‘development superpower'”.

Read a PDF version of the letter complete with signees below.