A new United Kingdom development blueprint has been praised for a renewed focus on tackling poverty after years of policy chaos, but criticized for lacking the resources to deliver on its ambitious aims.
Aid experts and organizations breathed a sigh of relief after the strategy ditched talk of using aid to challenge China and pursue U.K. strategic power, following the return of Andrew Mitchell as development minister a year ago.
But its shift to using the financial heft of London firms to rescue the Sustainable Development Goals — downplaying the role of government aid budgets — was branded unrealistic and its commitment to least-developed countries, or LDCs, was described as weak.
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About the author
Rob Merrick
Rob Merrick is the U.K. Correspondent for Devex, covering FCDO and British aid. He reported on all the key events in British politics of the past 25 years from Westminster, including the financial crash, the Brexit fallout, the "Partygate" scandal, and the departures of Boris Johnson and Liz Truss. Rob has worked for The Independent and the Press Association and is a regular commentator on TV and radio. He can be reached at rob.merrick@devex.com.
