U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s appointment of Andrew Mitchell as minister of state for international development in the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, attending Cabinet, is very interesting politically and very good news for the world’s most vulnerable people.
Mitchell has been an outspoken critic of Conservative policy on international development over the last two years, including Sunak's own decision as chancellor in 2020 to slash the aid budget by around 30%, from 0.7% of gross national income to 0.5%. The fact that Sunak has brought the leader of the aid rebellion back into government is interesting politically and a refreshing sign that Sunak is at least willing to listen to dissenting views around the Cabinet table.
It is also good news for global development. Mitchell was a very effective international development secretary from 2010-2012, not least because he had shadowed the job for five years. I am confident his appointment will mean improvements in U.K. international development policy in the next two years.
About the author
Laurie Lee
Laurie Lee is an advocate and practitioner in the global development and humanitarian sectors. Lee previously worked as chief executive of CARE International UK. Before that, he was Africa director at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, opening offices in Abuja, Addis Ababa, Johannesburg, and London. He served as a senior civil servant in the now-closed Department for International Development and development policy adviser to former British Prime Minister Tony Blair for the 2005 Gleneagles G-8 Summit.
