BILL Gates and some of the world’s richest philanthropists have banded together to pledge nearly £100 million in a pop at Boris Johnson over foreign aid cuts.
The UK Government is steaming ahead with a controversial £4 billion cut to its aid budget, amid a growing chorus of opposition to the plans.
A group of about 50 Conservative MPs, including the former prime minister Theresa May, are opposed to the cut to foreign aid and are demanding a vote on the Government’s decision to renege on its manifesto commitment.
The planned cut is to be from 0.7% of national income, which is enshrined in law, to 0.5%.
READ MORE: International aid: UK to slash funding for overseas clean water projects
And now, the Sunday Times reports that The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation are among a group of charities that have agreed to provide emergency funding to save projects that were previously funded by the UK.
It is understood the move is aimed at embarrassing Boris Johnson.
These include projects tackling preventable diseases and providing family planning, and the move has been backed by the Most Rev Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and Bob Geldof.
Welby said: “These diseases cause unimaginable suffering and entirely preventable deaths. This emergency funding is welcome and desperately needed, but I continue to pray for the restoration of our promise to those living in extreme poverty around the world: which was to love them as our neighbour through our commitment to the 0.7 per cent aid spending target.”
Geldof added: “How disgraceful that in order to prevent the fatal consequences of Boris Johnson’s broken word, private individuals need to fill the fatal void of an illegal abandonment of the weakest of the world to their awful, inevitable fate.”
The temporary funding for neglected tropical diseases will support countries most affected by the cuts, including Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Nepal, Nigeria, Sudan, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.
The charities say the cuts have put at risk sexual reproductive health services and supplies, including contraceptives. They say this undermines the government’s goals to keep girls in school.
Kate Hampton, chief executive officer of the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, said: “We are stepping in so that when the government returns to its commitments next year as promised, the progress made will not have been lost.”
READ MORE: SNP condemn the Tories' 'callous' foreign aid cuts amid Covid crisis
Tom Tugendhat, chairman of the foreign affairs committee, said: “When Britain withdraws, others step in. By cutting our aid, we have given states such as China and Russia an opportunity to expand their influence at Britain’s expense.
“In fragile and conflict-affected states, UK cuts to humanitarian crises give space for our rivals to convince our friends we don’t matter.”
The Prime Minister avoided a defeat last month after Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the Speaker of the Commons, refused to let MPs vote on an amendment, tabled by rebels, to reverse the Government’s decision to cut foreign aid. Hoyle accused Johnson of failing to show the Commons “due respect”.
It emerged last week that Johnson has been advised to hold a binding vote on the issue or risk MPs bringing forward another rebel amendment.
A government spokesman said: “The UK will spend more than £10bn to improve global health, fight poverty and tackle climate change this year, making us one of the biggest aid donors in the G7.”
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