The United Kingdom plans to use its aid budget to help the European Union cut the number of asylum-seekers arriving from Africa, in the first development policy shift made by its new Labour government.
The two parties are seeking to strike an agreement to work together to stem unauthorized crossings of the Mediterranean through measures to “deter people from leaving in the first place,“ said U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy.
Lammy announced a deal would involve “combined aid budgets,” without revealing whether the money would come from within the existing official development assistance allocation or from a top-up to it.
Printing articles to share with others is a breach of our terms and conditions and copyright policy. Please use the sharing options on the left side of the article. Devex Pro members may share up to 10 articles per month using the Pro share tool ( ).
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.
