The most critical report on the aid policy of this Conservative government originates from the Tory minister in charge of international development, not from any development organization. This week, Andrew Mitchell published a Foreign Office paper outlining the “severe” effects of the government’s cutbacks on aid expenditures. In Yemen, “fewer preventable deaths will be avoided” and half a million women and children will not have access to healthcare. A program to prevent female genital mutilation in Somalia may be shelved entirely or postponed. There will be a significant increase in unsafe abortions and maternal deaths throughout Africa.
The impact of just one year of aid spending cuts, according to civil servants, is widespread devastation. However, the UK is now in its fourth year of reduced development, during which time there has also been a global pandemic, a severe shortage of Covid vaccines, a shock to global inflation, and a violent invasion of Ukraine that has disrupted global grain and oil supplies.
Mr. Mitchell comes from a different era in Tory history, when the party, trying to clean up its image, embraced environmentalism and more aid expenditure under David Cameron. Considering how thoroughly they have been abandoned, it is a valid question to wonder how deep those promises ever went. However, their little history in contemporary conservatism serves as a reliable sign of where the party sees its priority and appeal.
Rishi Sunak abandoned the government’s pledge to devote 0.7% of GDP to foreign development while serving as chancellor. Mr. Sunak, the prime minister, claims that this was a temporary solution to support the government’s financially crippled state, but he doesn’t seem to be pressing to fulfill his commitment. Liz Truss, the foreign secretary at the time, declared just two years ago that she would boost funding for women’s and children’s assistance. Now, too, that promise is in ruins.
The government is not merely pleading poverty by cutting funding for aiding the world’s poorest citizens. The administration of Mr. Sunak is actively rerouting funds to assist migrants from Ukraine and to handle requests for asylum. That may violate international aid regulations because the Illegal Migration Act of last month prohibits anyone arriving without authorization from requesting asylum. Disguising prison-like boats parked off the coast of Portland as having anything to do with foreign development is undoubtedly unethical. However, the UK spent over one-third of its foreign aid spending domestically in 2022.
Mr. Mitchell may have released this most recent document in an effort to promote transparency as the recently elected minister of development. However, it is likely that the former top whip is aware that a press briefing on such a release could prove useful in future cash-battle disputes. However, he is engaging in a backup maneuver.
Labour bears some responsibility for this situation that it cannot escape. While Sir Keir Starmer will not commit to either reviving the Department for International Development or accepting the 0.7% objective, the establishment of the department was a proud moment for New Labour. Because so much of Westminster politics seems to be a race to the bottom, where raising up impoverished families in Africa or the UK is a luxury rather than an expression of our shared humanity, the Tory administration can get away with such callous policies. Yet as the Foreign Office’s report once again demonstrates, the human cost are all too real.