A DECISION to cut the amount of money the UK donates in foreign aid is causing a revolt against Boris Johnson in the Tory party and it could mean Boris Johnson faces a loss in a parliament vote for the first time since becoming Prime Minister.
Dozens of senior Tories - including Johnson's predecessor as prime minister Theresa May - are backing a move to reverse the decision to cut spending on aid from the legally-enshrined 0.7% of national income.
Johnson cut aid spending to 0.5% of national income due to the impact the coronavirus pandemic has had on the British economy, despite a Tory manifesto pledge in 2019 to keep it at the 0.7% level.
The cut amounts to almost £4 billion in potential aid.
A group of around 30 Tory MPs are hoping to use an amendment to legislation setting up the Advanced Research and Invention Agency to force the new body to make up the funding to meet the 0.7% goal.
A vote in the House of Commons could take place today if the amendment is selected by Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle.
Who are the Tories opposing the cut?
The Tory government in Westminster has a comfortable majority of 85 seats which has meant bills have passed despite fervent opposition from opposition benches.
A group of 30 Tory rebels is likely to make the administration at Westminster uneasy and could signal more defection from Johnson's policy.
The group is led by former international development secretary Andrew Mitchell (above centre) and includes former PM May and ex-Brexit secretary David Davis (above right).
May's former deputy Damian Green and Johnny Mercer, who recently resigned as defence minister over spending cuts, have also joined the rebellion.
Other senior Tory rebels supporting the amendment include former foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt and ex-aid minister Sir Desmond Swayne.
Why now?
The issue has resurfaced since the cuts were announced last year at a sensitive time for Johnson, who hosts leaders from some of the world’s richest countries at the G7 summit in Cornwall this week.
Mitchell said the amendment was a bid to ensure Johnson could travel to Cornwall to meet his G7 counterparts on Friday as “first among equals”.
Writing in the Guardian, Mitchell said: “The eyes of the world are truly upon us.
“But in this moment Britain is found wanting, because we have removed a foundational piece of our own global leadership.
“Britain is the only G7 nation cutting aid this year.”
Davis told Radio 4's Today programme earlier today that this cut will have "devastating consequences across the world" and said the move was morally "devastating".
He said that Germany, France and the US are leaders in spending in this area, adding “so we are not such a leader anymore – in fact, we are throwing away enormous influence, particularly in Africa, where there is an ideological battle with China”.
What about opposition parties?
The SNP have described the decision as "grotesquely inhumane" while Labour say the government should accept defeat and move on.
SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford MP said: "The decision to slash the UK’s aid budget amid a global pandemic is grotesquely inhumane and should be condemned in the strongest possible manner.
“Families and communities across the world are facing financial challenges not witnessed in our lifetime, yet this UK Tory government are insistent on implementing more toxic austerity measures which will have devastating consequences.
“It speaks volumes that Boris Johnson would priorities cuts like this during the same period the UK prepare to host the G7. It is truly shameful.
“The harsh reality of this decision is that this will cost lives. The UK have a legal and moral obligation to support countries that are less fortunate than we are – this decision breaks both of those.
“I am urging the Prime Minister to heed the warnings and urgently reverse the UK government’s decision to cut the aid budget. As we continue to battle this deadly virus, we simply cannot abandon those in desperate need of our support.”
Labour shadow foreign secretary Lisa Nandy told Sky News: “It would be in the Prime Minister’s interests if they just admitted they got this one wrong and move on, and started focusing on the G7, which is really important.”
How has the Tory government responded?
Downing Street suggested that aid spending could exceed the downgraded target of 0.5% of gross national income when the donation of coronavirus vaccines is taken into account.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said Boris Johnson would set out more details on sharing surplus doses with developing nations at the G7 summit in Cornwall this week.
“As is standard, any funding that benefits poverty reduction in developing countries would count as ODA (Official Development Assistance) funding,” he added.
Asked if extra spending would be on top of the existing aid budget, the spokesman said: “The £10 billion has been largely allocated in the spending plans already set out with regards to ODA funding, but I’m not going to jump ahead of what the PM might say later this week with regards to the commitment.”
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