The United Kingdom’s economy is “too turbulent” for the Labour Party to recommit to spending 0.7% of gross national income on the international development budget, said David Lammy, shadow foreign secretary.
He said: “We are determined to win power in 2024, in a cost of living crisis where people are struggling to put food on the table, inflation is rising, costs are soaring, it’s irresponsible for us to set out spending at this stage. It’s just too turbulent.”
Labour had a “commitment to development spending, and our record,” added Lammy, in a speech outlining his foreign policy vision at the Chatham House think tank on Tuesday. While the Conservatives closed the Department for International Development in 2020 and cut the aid budget to 0.5% in 2021, it was under their party’s government that international development reached 0.7% in 2013.
About the author
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.
