Ten years ago, when the United Kingdom’s new development minister, Jenny Chapman, was Labour’s shadow prisons minister, she said in an interview with The Guardian: “This was the only job I really wanted. It sounds cheesy, but I wanted to be in a position where I could make a long-term difference in an area I have a real interest in.”
A decade on, Chapman, who holds the title of Baroness of Darlington, finds herself having been handed a brief about which she appears to have little on-the-ground knowledge.
Chapman was hastily appointed as minister of state for international development, Latin America, and Caribbean on Friday evening, just hours after Anneliese Dodds resigned the development brief in the wake of U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s decision to cut the aid budget from 0.5% to 0.3% of gross national income by 2027 to boost defense spending.
About the author
Susannah Birkwood
Susannah Birkwood is a Devex contributing reporter focusing on U.K. aid policy and international development. She has reported on foreign aid budgets, peacebuilding, and the politics of the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, drawing on more than 16 years of experience across newsrooms and NGO press offices. She has overseen major media campaigns for international NGOs, including WWF, ActionAid, and Plan International, and has advised a wide range of charities and INGOs on media strategy and press outreach.
