Aid rebel MP Anthony Mangnall still hopes to influence UK's FCDO

Anthony Mangnall, a Conservative member of the U.K. Parliament. Photo by: Anthony Mangnall MP for Totnes and South Devon via Facebook

For Anthony Mangnall, a Conservative member of the U.K. Parliament who has helped spearhead the rebellious campaign against the government’s aid cuts, losing a crucial vote last week was far from the end of the line. Indeed, he will co-chair the Conflict and Global Britain all-party parliamentary group, launching Wednesday, alongside Labour MP Rushanara Ali — and seek to bring insights from the ground directly to the government.

The group is the political arm of a new coalition of 11 NGOs calling themselves the Action on Conflict Alliance, which aims to push the issue of conflict resolution higher up the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office’s agenda. The group, which includes The HALO Trust, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, wants to respond in “real time” to crises and help inform decision-making at FCDO, according to Mangnall.

“We will have a good opportunity to bring ministers in front of us ... and ensure they are hearing firsthand from the experts.”

— Anthony Mangnall, member of the U.K. Parliament

“I saw the foreign secretary and ministerial team this [Tuesday] morning, and they were all open and willing to discuss a whole range of issues,” Mangnall told Devex. “I don’t think the door is ever going to be closed on this.”

Despite being a newcomer to Parliament in 2019, Mangnall — a former adviser to Conservative Party grandee William Hague — campaigned and voted against the government’s reduction of the aid budget from 0.7% to 0.5% of gross national income.

“People know that diplomacy is about having frank words and honest conversations — and even if you’re on the side that doesn’t win,” Mangnall said. “I think we will have a good opportunity to bring ministers in front of us and have frank and honest conversations, and ensure they are hearing firsthand from the experts and from those who are on the ground.”

Mangnall said he envisioned the parliamentary group and NGO alliance — as well as their expertise and networks — interacting with a combination of ministers and FCDO officials, including in the department’s new conflict unit. He said he wants the group to be able to produce timely reports on ongoing crises and “make sure people are clear on the circumstances.”

According to Mangnall, he hoped the group “might be able to provide information they [the government] might not necessarily have.”

“In the most difficult regions in the world — say, Tigray [in Ethiopia] at the moment — there are NGOs there, not Foreign Office officials. We have to make sure that information and insight is grouped into the discussions we’re having in Westminster but also the decisions that ministers are taking,” he said.

After Parliament vote, 0.7% UK aid target out of reach for years

An unexpected vote saw the U.K. Treasury lay a trap disguised as a compromise, according to critics, and its success marks yet another bitter blow to the embattled U.K. development sector.

The group’s launch comes as FCDO works on its new development strategy, but little is known about the plans. Many NGOs are concerned about what they say is a lack of consultation from the department on the future direction of U.K. aid policy.

Mangnall said he was “disheartened” by losing last week’s vote on the aid cuts. “Quite a lot of colleagues were offered alternative routes and decided not to stick with [the rebellion]. ... But you also saw the strength of feeling in the House [of Commons] about 0.7% and the fact that … there are a number of people who believe [the cut] should be temporary and we should return to it.”

While he accepted the outcome of the vote, Mangnall said he and others would “continue to make the case” for development.