Foreign aid cuts expose what the Tories really think

 

Responding to the news that the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office aid budget is to be cut by over 25%, Liberal Democrat Foreign Affairs spokesperson Layla Moran MP said:   "These deep cuts to aid spending are incredibly concerning. The Foreign Secretary has assured us of the Government's priorities, but I just don't see how we can continue to deliver for the world's poorest if FCDO's aid budget allocation alone is being cut by over 25% compared to 2019/20.    "These cuts tell us what the Conservatives really think, and the lack of any detail on how these decisions were made and what they mean for programmes and initiatives is troubling. In the middle of a global pandemic we need to be stepping up and leading internationally to help the world build back better from this crisis. Instead, we're cutting money from core aid, research and development and more.    "The Liberal Democrats will never stop fighting to protect our aid budget and advocate for the world's poorest. The Foreign Secretary must come to the Commons at once to explain his written statement and be transparent about what these reductions mean."