Reacting to Reform UK’s plans to slash overseas aid by more than 90% and introduce a “hard cap” of £1bn a year, Green MP, Dr Ellie Chowns, said:
“It cannot be overstated how many lives will be put at risk by this cruel and senseless policy. It would cut vital support to the most vulnerable people on the planet – those who rely on foreign aid not only to survive but also helping provide hope that they can thrive, through funding health, education, housing, energy and environmental projects.
“This policy is also counter-productive, especially for a party that’s raison d’être is to stop migration to the UK. Cutting foreign aid – leaving many more destitute and living in extreme poverty – will drive displacement, forcing people to leave their homes in search of a better life or mere survival.
“Foreign aid can also help prevent conflicts, fight the spread of disease, and mitigate the impacts of climate breakdown. Addressing these are all in our own national interest.
“Foreign aid is the helping hand which, as one of the richest countries in the world, we have a moral obligation to provide.
“Labour’s cut of foreign aid from 0.7% to 0.3% of national income was disgraceful; Reform’s proposal to reduce it to a pitiful 0.03% is reprehensible.
“Greens are clear: we would increase foreign aid to a full 1% of national income and enable the people of the Global South to take the lead on how aid is spent.”
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