Six weeks after the historic Brexit vote, the U.K. development community is still piecing together what aid will look like under Prime Minister Theresa May, who has promised a new, more trade-focused Department for International Development.
Many breathed a sigh of relief last week when May publicly confirmed her government’s commitment to spending 0.7 percent of gross national income on aid — dispelling rumors that the aid budget worth 11 billion pounds ($14.6 billion) is on the chopping block. But anxieties rose again when the new head of DfID, Priti Patel, reportedly met with officials of the U.K.’s new Department for International Trade to discuss how aid commitments could be leveraged to negotiate trade deals with emerging countries.
A source close to Patel said the U.K.’s aid cooperation offers “excellent access to foreign leaders,” which can be used to broker trade deals at a time when Britain’s post-Brexit trade outlook is still uncertain.
About the author
Molly Andersmollyanders_dev
Molly Anders is a former U.K. correspondent for Devex. Based in London, she reports on development finance trends with a focus on British and European institutions. She is especially interested in evidence-based development and women’s economic empowerment, as well as innovative financing for the protection of migrants and refugees. Molly is a former Fulbright Scholar and studied Arabic in Syria, Jordan, Egypt and Morocco.
