July 5, 2021
2 mins read

Boris mulls backtracking on foreign aid cuts

Davis told BBC Radio 4 last month that potentially lifesaving schemes had already been canceled as a result of the move…reports Asian Lite News.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to backtrack and offer the lawmakers a vote on foreign aid cuts as warnings mount that the move risks the Conservatives’ reputation.

The Sunday Times reported that Johnson is “actively considering” plans to allow MPs a binding vote on the £4 billion ($5.6 billion) cuts to the overseas aid budget before the parliamentary summer recess, according to its sources.

Although Johnson has yet to give his official view on the proposal, it is understood he has been advised to grant the vote or risk MPs bringing forward another rebel amendment, the Times reported.

Former Prime Minister Theresa May and Brexit Secretary David Davis (Number 10 Flickr)

Former Brexit Secretary David Davis is among 50 Conservative rebel MPs, including former Prime Minister Theresa May, who are planning to vote against a proposal to cut the foreign aid budget from 0.7 percent of gross domestic product to 0.5 percent despite the party committing to maintaining the figure in its 2019 general election manifesto, according to a report appeared in the Arab News.

The policy change is going to hit hard on countries such as Syria, Yemen, Libya and Lebanon.

Meanwhile, Downing Street has maintained that the cuts are a temporary measure due to the economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic, but has offered no timeframe for returning to the 0.7 percent target.

Davis told BBC Radio 4 last month that potentially lifesaving schemes had already been canceled as a result of the move.

In June, Johnson avoided a parliamentary defeat after MPs were blocked from voting on an amendment to the proposed cuts, which had been proposed by Conservative rebels.

Last month, the UK has helped to clear Sudan’s debt and supported its economic recovery.

Last month, Sudan’s $1.4 billion in arrears owed to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) had been cleared, allowing it to access new financing to boost its economic recovery.

The clearing of its arrears was supported with £36 million from UK reserves at the IMF.

An additional £148 million one-day loan from the UK, announced by the UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab in May, has previously helped Sudan clear its arrears at the African Development Bank.

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