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    • News
    • UK aid

    In Brief: FCDO Minister Cleverly hints UK MPs won't get to vote on aid cuts

    New development legislation is thought to be essential to Britain's recent aid cuts. But one minister is casting doubt on the already unclear timeline.

    By William Worley // 02 March 2021
    James Cleverly, minister at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, on Downing Street in London. Photo by: Simon Dawson / REUTERS

    The U.K. government has dropped its strongest hint yet that it could push through massive cuts to its aid programs without parliamentary approval.

    Damian Green, a veteran former Conservative Party minister, asked in Parliament if the government could make a commitment that “further cuts [after those for Yemen] won’t be made until that necessary legislation promised by ministers to this house to enact this policy has been put to a vote so that this house can express a view.”

    But Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Minister James Cleverly suggested this would not be the case.

    He replied: “The foreign secretary, as I have said, is looking carefully at the requirements of the legislation. I can assure [Green] from this position in the dispatch box the government is well able to listen to the mood of the House [of Commons] without the need for legislation on this issue.”

    Why does it matter? The government promised to pose legislation to allow the aid budget to be reduced from 0.7% of gross national income to 0.5% when it announced the cuts in November. Members of Parliament, such as Green, are now demanding a vote before other aid programs are cut.

    But the government has not been clear on when it will bring the new legislation — perhaps because of the prospect of a parliamentary rebellion — and the legality of proceeding with the reductions without MPs’ approval has been questioned. Green, echoing former government lawyer Lord Edward Garnier, said existing legislation does not allow the government to miss the 0.7% target indefinitely.

    Aid transparency campaigners expressed concern about Cleverly’s comments. “We’re only just getting used to a complete absence of transparency regarding how cuts are being made. Now it sounds like the overarching legal, policy, and strategic decisions are being made without transparency also,” said Gary Forster, chief executive at Publish What You Fund, an aid transparency campaign group.

    More reading:

    ► UK's aid budget to Yemen slashed by nearly 60%

    ► Planning to miss UK 0.7% aid spend target is 'unlawful,' says former solicitor general

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    About the author

    • William Worley

      William Worley@willrworley

      Will Worley is the Climate Correspondent for Devex, covering the intersection of development and climate change. He previously worked as UK Correspondent, reporting on the FCDO and British aid policy during a time of seismic reforms. Will’s extensive reporting on the UK aid cuts saw him shortlisted for ‘Specialist Journalist of the Year’ in 2021 by the British Journalism Awards. He can be reached at william.worley@devex.com.

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