Labour leader Keir Starmer is backing away from his pledge to restore a separate U.K. international development department, despite huge criticism of aid delivery since the former Department for International Development, or DFID, merged with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office three years ago.
His officials are exploring whether a development “agency” within FCDO — with operational independence — could repair the U.K.’s tarnished reputation without the “disruption and cost” of another big institutional shake-up.
Another factor is a fear that a separate department would fail to “fit in” as effectively with other foreign policy “priorities,” a senior Labour source has told Devex — the reason given by the Conservatives for the controversial merger that created the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office in 2020.