What do John Major, Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, David Cameron
and Theresa May have in common? All five former Prime Ministers have condemned
Boris Johnson’s decision to cut the UKs foreign aid spending, reduced from 0.7%
of national income, to 0.5%.
That’s a reduction of around £4.5 billion a year. It may sound
a lot and a reasonable saving to make but against a Covid home spend of around £210
billion and counting, not so much.
But in terms of the effect internationally, it’s
devastating.
Former international development secretary Andrew Mitchell (part of Johnson’s
Conservative party) estimates the result of the reduced aid will mean nearly a
million girls will be deprived of education. It will mean a lack of access to
contraception for 7 million people and it will mean 5.6 million children will
not get the vaccinations they need. A further 3.8 million people could lose access to clean water. Most tellingly it will mean up to 100,000
deaths as a result.
Under the cover of saving in the time of a pandemic,
Johnson is playing politics. His hard talking, non-caring right wing in his
party were getting rebellious. So he decided they were more important than the
lives of children in poorest countries. He ignored the pleas of the former
Prime Ministers and former development secretaries.
The Archbishop of Canterbury has called the decision ‘shameful
and wrong.’ The CEO of Tearfund says ‘People living in poverty are already
pushed to the brink of survival every day. This decision by the UK government
is a harsh, badly calculated decision and could not have come at a worse time.’
Former Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron says ‘The
Government wants to make clear that we are looking after our own. But in doing
so it sends a message that Britain is becoming insular, heartless and
irrelevant. And it forgets two other vital principles from our Christian
heritage. That of grace: a gift of something perhaps undeserved but freely
given. And that of service: looking after those less fortunate than ourselves.’
Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown says ‘The UK’s path-breaking
commitment to ending world poverty yields far-reaching benefits and its aid
programme is one of its most valuable global assets.’
For ‘is’, read ‘was’.
Shame on you Mr Johnson. You have stolen from the neediest
to fill the political trough of the rich and greedy.