BORIS Johnson’s decision to close the department for International Development (DFiD) and merge it with the Foreign Office was not discussed in Cabinet, according to the Health Secretary.
Matt Hancock told Sky News this morning that the move to merge the teams despite Johnson’s pledge to “keep” the major Scottish base hadn’t been discussed during meetings.
As many as 600 people in East Kilbride, South Lanarkshire, are employed by the DFiD which supports some of the most vulnerable people in the world facing disaster, disease and destitution.
READ MORE: Fears for 600 jobs as Scottish department merges with Foreign Office
Yesterday the Tory leader announced plans for a “super-department”, telling MPs the pandemic had proved the distinction between the teams “makes no sense”. He gave no guarantees for the future of DFiD staff at the Scottish base.
After the session, Blackford said: “The Prime Minister must deliver a cast-iron guarantee that all of these jobs are secure and that they will stay in East Kilbride.”
Green MSP Ross Greer also raised his concerns about jobs.
“After the closure of HMRC offices and job centres, it’s clear the Tories don’t care how many jobs they destroy here or how much harm the loss of these services does to people in the UK and across the world,” he said.
“This is a nasty attempt to play to the worst instincts of Boris Johnson’s rich mates.
“Britain has a long, brutal legacy of wrongdoing across the world and the international development programme is one small way in which the government has sought to make amends for that.
“Now this racist Prime Minister is scrapping Dfid and squeezing the aid budget.”
The news that the decision was not discussed in Cabinet follows other similar reports which have emerged during the Covid-19 crisis.
Sources reported that Cabinet members were not told about changes to England’s “Stay at Home” messaging changes in May, and were not told what the Prime Minister would say in his televised announcement on changes to restrictions.
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