MPs to quiz Foreign Secretary and Development Minister
The Foreign Secretary and International Development Minister are set to face the International Development Committee as MPs digest the latest round of aid cuts.
The session with Yvette Cooper and Baroness Chapman will explore the recently announced allocations for Overseas Development Assistance (ODA), as the Government brings aid spending down to 0.3% of GNI to pay for a boost in defence spending.
While the International Development Minister will be pressed on the detail of the cuts, the Foreign Secretary could be asked what she considers the role of ODA to be. MPs are also expected to ask what assessments have been made to understand the impact of ODA reductions on UK soft power and to seek reassurances regarding impending FCDO staff cuts.
In her first appearance before the Committee, the Foreign Secretary will also be questioned on subjects across the FCDO’s development work.
Meeting details
The UK’s climate finance allocation for vulnerable countries looks set to be reduced from £11.6bn over the past five years to £9bn in the next five. The Committee will therefore probe whether the Foreign Secretary believes UK can maintain its climate leadership role with a reduced allocation.
With the Committee having recently examined how much progress the UK has made in delivering its priorities for women and girls, MPs will explore what is being done to advance the Women, Peace and Security agenda.
MPs will raise the situation in Palestine and could ask when the Government will respond to the International Court of Justice’s 2024 advisory opinion on the forcible transfer of Palestinians from the West Bank.
The Foreign Secretary is also likely to be asked about the situation in Sudan and how the UK is working to de-escalate tensions in the Horn of Africa.