Wednesday 30 January 2019

Campaign response – Will you support The ONE Campaign?


There has been much discussion about our international aid budget lately. Some constituents who are keen to see the money being put into good use have emailed me to ask if I would support the ONE Campaign, which urges the government to guarantee that all UK aid is effective, transparent, and targeted at ending extreme poverty.

I am proud of the UK’s commitment to spend 0.7% of our budget in international aid, which is helping to build a safer, healthier, more prosperous world for people in developing countries and in the UK.

British aid goes towards vaccinating children from preventable diseases, enabling them to go to school and helping people work their way out of poverty, as well as providing food, nutrition and medical care.

Foreign aid also provides added value to our security and trade policies. Foreign development assistance can often make an important contribution towards in supporting stability and sustainable development for the recipient country, leading to better foreign relations and prospect for a more preferential trade deal with them.

It is in our interest to maintain our foreign aid policy because it also helps to promote UK interests abroad and ensure our position as the world’s leading soft power nation is secure.

I would like to see the Government maintain its commitment on international aid and will be speaking up for its ability to transform lives and tackle the root causes of global issues.

But I also see the importance of holding the government to account on this matter, which is why I am pleased to inform my constituents that I will be supporting the ONE Campaign and will continue to ask the Department for International Development to give the British public a full account of the way our overseas aid budget.