Preet Kaur Gill responds to the emergency debate on the 0.7% Official Development Assistance target

“It is a great shame that the Government has had to be forced into this debate today, when they promised they would bring legislation to Parliament to ask the elected members of this House whether they supported these cuts to the aid budget more than six months ago.

“We clearly have a Government in hiding. A Government that has tried over and over again to avoid scrutiny and accountability for the cuts they’ve imposed.

“Drip feeding the public information on where the cuts are falling and refusing to release the impact assessments or rationale behind any of those decisions.

“We have been told conflicting things about whether impact assessments have been carried out on the cuts – suggesting either that the Secretary of State failed to ask for any, in which case he is out of his depth, or he is afraid of the public learning the true impact of the cuts and the lives lost. So which is it?

“We are no strangers to hyperbole in this House – but it is really no exaggeration to say that the cuts to the aid budget by this Government has cost people their lives. This is utterly shameful.

“And, let’s not pretend that FCDO ministers are not ashamed of the cuts foisted upon them by the Chancellor and waved through by a Prime Minister either too weak or too incompetent to oppose them.

“The Secretary of State and his Ministers are the ones who have had to front debates, meet with their counterparts and post videos talking about the importance of clean water and sanitation while slashing funding by 80% meaning 8 million fewer women and girls will have access to that most necessity.

“Or the life changing impact of girls’ education, a priority says the Prime Minister as he hopes no one notices whilst cutting the education budget by 40% meaning 700,000 fewer girls will receive an education.

“The Government says Britain’s focus should be on human rights but they have halved funding to the human rights, democracy, and rules-based international system program.

“Why should we or the British public trust a word this Government says?

“Yesterday Members of Parliament from across this House were ready to show that they do not support this government’s callous and counterproductive cuts to the aid budget. Because the real consequences are already being felt in Britain as well as the world. Including cutting funding of research programmes by 70% that were tracking covid-19 variants of concerns around the world including the Delta variant making the British public less safe.

“The UK has built up a reputation as a global development power thanks to our aid commitment and dedicated development workers, academics researchers and scientists – strengthening our position in the world with both our allies and our detractors.

“The Government is tarnishing our global reputation, our soft power and our national interest.

“Cutting back on foreign assistance in the middle of the worst humanitarian crisis of our generation only undermines our collective global response to the pandemic.

“With days to go until the G7 summit, choosing to continue with this cut would see this Government persist with undermining the UK’s credibility on the world stage while ignoring its commitments to the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people on earth.

“Britain is a proud, generous, and caring country. These cuts are an insult to the British people and our proud tradition showing humanity and leadership on the world stage.

“Members of the US congress and the Biden administration are already warning the Prime Minister about the impact of these aid cuts.

“During this deadly pandemic global leadership and unity is more important than ever but as the only G7 nation to cut aid, and the third lowest donor this year. This signals a retreat. So much for Global Britain.

“If we are to assert ourselves on the world stage, we must be a country that looks outwards, that builds relationships outside our borders to tackle the global challenges ahead.

“The Government has a choice, continue down a path which will cost more lives or listen to colleagues across Parliament and end this retreat today by reinstating the commitment to 0.7% as a matter of urgency.”