Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of halving the foreign aid budget.

On Tuesday 25 February, Prime Minister announced that we will increase defence spending to 2.5% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2027; the security of the UK is the first duty of government.

Doing so demands the difficult but necessary decision to reduce our Official Development Assistance (ODA) spending from 0.5% to 0.3% of Gross National Income (GNI).

While we will of course face tough choices resulting from the reduced ODA available, this government remains fully committed to a globally significant role on development. It is both in our national interest and in the interest of our partners across the globe.

The prime minister has set out a new strategic vision for government spending on defence and security, and official development assistance. Specific allocations will be worked through as part of the ongoing spending review on the basis of various factors including impact assessments.