Aid Spending

Baroness Sheehan Excerpts

Wednesday 2nd September 2020 Lords Chamber

Asked by

[Baroness Sheehan]

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the establishment of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what plans they have to maintain the requirement to spend 0.7 per cent of Gross National Income on aid.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (Baroness Sugg) (Con)]

My Lords, the commitment to spending 0.7% of our national income on aid is a manifesto commitment and is enshrined in law. As the PM has made clear, the new Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office will maximise the impact of our aid budget to help the world’s poorest, while making sure that we get the best value for money for the UK taxpayer.

[Baroness Sheehan (LD)]

My Lords, in an article in this week’s Sunday Times on the Chancellor’s possible tax rises was this line:

“Treasury officials are also examining ways of siphoning cash from the foreign aid budget.”


Given that £2.9 billion has already been cut from UK aid this year, going further would mean repealing legislation. From the same article was this quote:

“A source said: ‘Foreign aid is being looked at as well’.”


Quite simply, can the Minister say whether such media reports over the last few days are wishful thinking within elements of her party, or is it a precursor to yet another government U-turn, this time on a Conservative manifesto commitment?