Hywel Williams MP has said the government’s decision to cut spending on overseas aid is “mean spirited and a short-sighted policy” that will harm the world’s poorest.

 

MPs voted by a majority of 35 to keep the budget for international development at 0.5% of national income.

But 25 Conservatives joined Labour and other parties in an attempt to reinstate the 0.7% figure, which was in place until earlier this year.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the cut was needed to keep public debt down during the pandemic.

The government has faced cross-party criticism over the reduction – which amounts to almost £4bn – including from all the UK’s living former prime ministers.

Many Conservative MPs have spoken out against the move, announced last November despite a commitment to spending 0.7% in the party’s 2019 election manifesto. Meeting the figure was made law in 2015.

Charities such as Oxfam and ActionAid have warned that projects are being called off as a result of the cuts. But the government won by 333 votes to 298, following a three-hour debate. Oxfam GB chief executive Danny Sriskandarajah described the vote as “a disaster for the world’s poorest people”.

Speaking at Westminster Hywel Williams said: “From a Welsh perspective, I note that smaller European countries have met their 0.7% GDP target, – Denmark, Sweden, Luxembourg, Norway. Indeed Sweden has provided aid not to 0.7% but to 1.14% of their GDP.

“Sweden and the others can do this and they achieve the 0.7% and more unfortunately the UK can but choose not to.

“Leading figures in Welsh public life and local constituents alike have expressed their dismay, describing this cut as a double blow to the world’s poorest communities at a time of the pandemic the Welsh government themselves say in their policy document on international matters. They say: “We are committed to promoting social justice, fairness and equality”.

“What value have these fair words from this Welsh labour government when we are tied to and overruled by this mean spirited and short-sighted policy from the Westminster government.

“The UN population fund is to be cut by 85%, UNICEF’s core funding two support children cut by 60%, the total funding to be cut by £4.5billion. Those figures would be a disgrace to any country, but given this Government’s pretensions to be a leading global power and an example to others, they are not only a disgrace but also a major self-inflicted blow to the UK’s international standing.”