Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effect of the reduction in Official Development Assistance spending on the UK's ability to support freedom organisations promoting democracy and the rule of law in Europe and the Americas.

The UK will spend £10 billion on overseas development assistance in 2021, making us the third largest aid donor in the G7, as a percentage of GNI. The move from spending 0.7% to 0.5% of our GNI on ODA was taken in response to extreme economic and fiscal circumstances. We have prioritised our aid to be more strategic and remain a force for good across the world. Open Societies was one of seven core priorities for the aid budget this year, as set out by the Foreign Secretary, and was also a key theme in the Integrated Review. The Government intends to return to the 0.7% ODA target when the fiscal situation allows.