Slipped into the Politico newsletter this morning was this, which I have not seen in other media as yet:
The PM is considering a “temporary cut” to Britain's aid spending, the Times‘ Francis Elliott, Steve Swinford and Lucy Fisher report. “Ministers have drawn up plans to reduce the proportion of Britain's gross national income spent on aid from 0.7 percent to 0.5 percent, saving billions.”
The Daily Express must be wetting itself with joy.
The Little Britainers are taking their chance just when the rest of the world faces food crises, increasing poverty, the impact of climate change and, of course, the need for coronavirus vaccines. Or, in other words, just when the need for aid is growing.
It's at moments like these that you see the real, callous, meanness that underpins right-wing thinking. We can afford to give aid. But the Tories don't want to do so. They would rather people suffered.
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Britain spends just over 2.0% of its gross national income on aid. I think the writer for the Times suffers from the common presumption of the progressive liberal that it only counts if it’s spent through government.
The commitment is to 0.7% government spent aid
It is being abandoned
And how much profit does UK make from selling arms and fuelling wars? – and how much does the UK benefit from using medical and nursing staff trained overseas?