[ad_1]
This week, Boris Johnson’s government won a key vote, which means foreign aid will drop from 0.7% of national income to 0.5%. MPs voted by a majority of 35 in favor of the policy, but there were also a number of Tory rebels who joined Labor in trying to keep spending on foreign aid. Prime Minister Johnson argued the cuts were necessary to keep public debt low amid the pandemic. However, former prime ministers have criticized the impact the cuts will have around the world.
One person to attack the plan is Mr Major – he targeted the government for spending public money on a national yacht while claiming that public finances should be kept in order.
He said: “It looks like we can afford a ‘national yacht’ that no one wants or needs, while cutting back on helping some of the world’s most miserable and needy people.
“It’s not a conservatism that I recognize. It’s the hallmark of Little England, not Great Britain.”
However, Major has been challenged for his criticism, given his government’s record on foreign aid spending and his own calls for a “royal yacht” in 1997.
At the time, Mr Major said: “We made this decision because we believe that a Royal Yacht is an important national asset and projects a prestigious image of Britain which adds powerfully to official occasions.
“We believe that a new royal yacht – a symbol of the pride of the nation – should be funded not by sponsorship or subscription, but by the nation.”
Mr Major also left office with lower foreign aid spending than Margaret Thatcher and lower than in the 1970s, as Guido Fawkes reported.
Figures from the Department of International Development showed that Mr. Major’s spending was at its lowest between the period 1970-2020.
Mr Johnson’s predecessor Theresa May also criticized the plans, saying this week: “We made a pledge to the poorest people in the world. The government broke that promise. This motion means that the promise can be broken for years to come.
“With deep regret, I will vote against the motion today.”
READ MORE: ‘Cold war in China grows’ as UK warns of dangers of cutbacks in foreign aid
The UK pledged at least £ 87million for the country earlier this year, just over half of the £ 160million pledged in 2020.
Meanwhile, charities working in Syria, including Syria Relief, Action Against Hunger and the International Rescue Committee, joined together to warn the government it was putting lives at risk when it announced in March that it was cutting its aid budget to the country by about a third to £ 205million.
They said UK aid has supported food interventions for 210,000 Syrians and WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) interventions for 100,000 Syrian refugees, hygiene) for 100,000 Syrian refugees.
[ad_2]
Source link
