Preet Gill – 2021 Comments on International Aid Cuts

The comments made by Preet Gill, the Shadow International Development Secretary, on 3 June 2021.

The Government’s decision to cut the aid budget in the middle of a pandemic risks lives.

The Foreign Secretary has failed to conduct impact assessments on the cuts, and slashed everything from aid to the world’s worst humanitarian crisis in Yemen to programmes tracking new Covid variants.

As the only G7 country to cut aid in the middle of a pandemic, the UK’s credibility as a leader on the greatest global challenges has been undermined.

Ahead of hosting the G7, the Conservative Government should take this opportunity to stop its retreat from the world stage, do the right thing and reinstate our commitment to 0.7%.