Watchdog MPs have launched an inquiry that will explore ways the UK can continue to deliver “high impact” international aid and development assistance at the same time as the government’s planned 40% budget cuts.
Members of parliament’s International Development Committee are seeking answers on spending that should be prioritised, and areas where reform is needed, as part of the scheduled reduction in official development assistance to 0.3% of gross national income.
Prime minister Keir Starmer controversially announced in February that ODA would be cut from the current 0.5% to 0.3% of GNI to fund increased defence spending. The reduction is due to be complete by 2027.
Last month, members of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee warned that cuts at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office risked jeopardising the UK’s standing in the United Nations, and would play into the hands of Russia and China.
In its just-launched call for evidence, the International Development Committee said the government’s planned cuts were expected to see ODA reduce from £15.4bn to £9.2bn. It said that potentially just 80% of the remaining figure could be spent abroad because the ODA budget also covers some asylum support in the UK.
Committee chair Sarah Champion said the Labour government’s reductions in ODA – which follow the Johnson government’s decision to pare back spending from 0.7% of GNI to 0.5% – created significant challenges.
“We are at a critical moment when it comes to the future of UK foreign aid,” she said. “How do we ensure no one is left behind, particularly the most vulnerable – including the extreme poor, women and girls and people with disabilities – whilst also meeting the government’s stated priorities?
“What should drive the government’s vision for foreign aid; national security, moral duty, international obligations? We want to hear from those with experience or expertise in the sector about how the UK can meet this challenge.”
In July, Foreign Office minister Baroness Jenny Chapman wrote to the International Development Committee outlining “essential shifts” in the UK’s working relationships with its partners in how it delivers aid. She said the idea was to move from a paternalistic donor model involved directly in service delivery to one based more on partnership, investment and indirect support.
The International Development Committee’s terms of reference for its inquiry detail more than two dozen questions that MPs seek views upon.
They include a call for suggestions on ways government can prioritise ODA over the coming years, and on how the UK’s approach to development can be sufficiently flexible to respond to what development partners need the most.
Views are also sought on where is reform needed in multilateral agencies and development banks that the UK funds and on aligning development work with the expectations of UK taxpayers.
The inquiry is accepting written submissions until 31 October.