Latest news with #BaronessChapman
Telegraph
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Foreign aid cuts to hit women and girls, minister admits
Foreign aid budget cuts will hit education programmes and women and girls' initiatives, a Cabinet minister has admitted. Baroness Chapman of Darlington, who is charged with delivering the 40 per cent reduction to the overseas aid budget, has outlined her plans for the first time to MPs. She said that 'inevitably' there would be cuts in some areas, adding that it would be 'likely to be on education and gender'. Lady Chapman, a long-time ally of Sir Keir Starmer, was brought in after Anneliese Dodds quit as development minister ahead of the announcement to reduce the budget to fund defence. Speaking to the Commons international development committee, she said: 'Inevitably, this means that in some areas and countries there will be less to spend, and I think there's no point in being anything other than completely open about this, I think that is likely to be on education and gender.' She added: 'But in those areas, we can't turn away from them, we've got to make even more of our technical expertise – in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and across the UK more widely – and our diplomatic influence to lead.' The minister said that the Government instead would be focusing on programmes that tackled humanitarian crises in conflict zones, health and climate initiatives. The remarks prompted criticism from Sarah Champion, the committee's chairman and a senior Labour MP, who said that it showed the Government was 'no longer prioritising women and girls'. She told the Cabinet minister: 'I was just thinking of the girl in Malawi who's no longer getting her education supported. She probably doesn't care whether it's driven by ideology. She just knows that her opportunity is just collapsing. 'I have to say we've known each other for a long time, I know how passionate a defender you are of the rights of women and girls. Why on earth are you putting on record that we are no longer supporting education and we're no longer prioritising the rights of women and girls?' Lady Chapman insisted that the department would 'integrate and mainstream' support for women and girls, something that organisations involved supported. 'If you work in development and you don't have a passion for work on gender inequalities running through you, you're in the wrong business.' 'Deeply concerned' But when asked about plans for gender programmes, she said: 'I can't promise to protect every good programme, I just can't.' The charity sector also expressed concern about what the remarks meant for gender funding. Amelia Whitworth, of Plan International UK, said: 'We are also deeply concerned to hear that funding to support and promote gender equality may be under threat. We can only uphold the rights and dignity of girls and women if we invest in addressing their specific needs.' The details about how the cuts will affect Britain's contribution to international aid are likely to prompt further anger amongst Labour MPs, who have already expressed frustration over the plans. The Prime Minister promised earlier this year that defence spending would be increased to 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2027, a move announced after Donald Trump's inauguration. Lord Cameron wrote into law that foreign aid should be 0.7 per cent of gross national income (GNI) after he won the 2010 general election, but the foreign aid budget already falls below it. About £2 billion a year is still being taken out of the budget to fund housing for asylum seekers in British hotels.
The Independent
13-05-2025
- Business
- The Independent
UK cuts to international aid will have huge impact, minister admits
The UK's large-scale aid cuts will have a 'huge impact', the new development minister has admitted to MPs – but that the days of viewing Britain 'as a global charity' are over. Jenny Chapman replaced Anneliese Dodds as development minister in February. Dodds resigned in protest at the prime minister's plan to cut aid spending from 0.5 per cent to 0.3 per cent of the UK's gross national income (GNI) – a measure of the nation's total wealth. That amounts to roughly £6 billion cut from a current budget of £15.4bn. Addressing the international development select committee, Baroness Chapman said the UK needed to 'sharpen our focus' on health, the climate crisis and humanitarian aid in Gaza, Ukraine and Sudan, 'which is actually where the public expects us to lead'. But this would likely come at the expense of programmes around women and girls ' education, she said. 'There will be a huge impact, I'm not pretending otherwise,' Chapman said 'I can't promise to protect every good programme'. Baroness Chapman went on to claimthere was an "absolute crisis" in public support for international aid, adding that "many of our partner countries" also wanted to "move on from this model". Monica Harding, the Liberal Democrat spokesperson on the committee, said other polling suggested UK residents did support foreign aid when it is, 'within their interests, when it supports defence and security and soft power'. Arguing that the UK needed to focus more on sharing expertise than providing cash, Baroness Chapman said: "While our commitment to helping those living through emergencies is unwavering - for countries developing, we need to be an investor and not just a donor. "It's about partnership and not paternalism." An explicit plan to spend less on gender might appear to mirror the rhetoric coming from across the Atlantic, as Donald Trump has ruthlessly slashed any spending he considers to be in the service of 'gender ideology.' millions on the brink of famine to derailing the end of the AIDS pandemic, driving millions of preventable deaths. But Chapman was keen to put a distance between Labour's plans and the US's blitz on all aid - especially any project that has a whiff of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). Asked by Harding whether these plans were 'just following the US', Chapman denied the claim. 'We have made our choice for very very different ideological reasons. This is about necessity and having to shift some spending to defence,' Baroness Chapman said. 'We maintain our commitment to go back to 0.7 [per cent] when we can'. In the future, the UK should offer its 'expertise' from its education, health, tech and financial sectors to support countries to build their own systems, Chapman said. The alternative would be to 'salami slice without strategy,' which would be 'wrong'. An analysis by Save the Children previously shared with The Independent found 'savage' cuts to UK foreign aid would leave 55.5 million of the world's poorest people without access to basic resources. Chair of the international devleopment committee, Sarah Champion, said development money - which usually sits in a different pot from humanitarian money - is 'how you prevent conflicts in the future. It is how you prevent terrorists in the future'. The plans will be finalised by 11 June when the spending review, setting out government departments' budgets, closes. Baroness Chapman also pushed back on estimates from The One Campaign which suggested UK aid cuts could lead to 600,000 preventable deaths and 38 million fewer children being vaccinated, saying the government hadn't got the point of making those decisions yet. More clarity on where the UK's aid cuts will fall will come in the summer.
The Independent
13-05-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Aid groups hit back over development minister's ‘charity' comments
Aid organisations have hit back at the international development minister after she said the days of the UK Government acting as a 'global charity' were over. Groups including Plan International UK and Bond said they rejected Baroness Jenny Chapman's description of aid during her appearance in front of the Commons International Development Committee on Tuesday. Baroness Chapman, who took over as development minister in February after Anneliese Dodds resigned over cuts to the aid budget, told MPs: 'The world has changed, and with it so must our approach. 'The days of viewing the UK Government as a global charity are over.' Baroness Chapman went on to say there was an 'absolute crisis' in public support for international aid, adding that 'many of our partner countries' also wanted to 'move on from this model'. Arguing that the UK needed to focus more on sharing expertise than providing cash, she said: 'While our commitment to helping those living through emergencies is unwavering – for countries developing, we need to be an investor and not just a donor. 'It's about partnership and not paternalism.' But her remarks drew condemnation from aid organisations, who warned that recent cuts to the aid budget could cost lives in the developing world. Amelia Whitworth, head of policy at the charity Plan International UK, said: 'We entirely reject the notion that international development budgets are about acting as a 'global charity'. 'This framing is not only wrong, it is dangerous. International development funding is a vital pillar of a government's foreign policy. It helps build a safer, more stable and more prosperous world for everyone.' Gideon Rabinowitz, director of policy at NGO network Bond, said: 'UK aid isn't about charity, it is about global solidarity and responsibility to our international commitments, and it's an investment in a safer, healthier and more sustainable world that benefits us here in the UK.' Challenged over her remarks by committee chairwoman Sarah Champion, who said she 'never saw aid as charity', Baroness Chapman said she agreed, but had to 'speak very bluntly' when communicating with the public. She said: 'We are not talking to ourselves and I want the public to know, I want them to have confidence in the money that we are spending so we get their consent to continue with this agenda.' Baroness Chapman's appearance at the committee followed the Government's decision in February to slash the aid budget from 0.5% of gross national income to 0.3% in order to pay for increased defence spending. The move prompted Ms Dodds's resignation from the role and sparked concern that it could cost lives in the developing world, coming soon after US President Donald Trump's decision to effectively gut the US Agency for International Development. The UK's decision effectively cuts the aid budget by 40%, something Baroness Chapman said could not be done 'without thinking about what you are doing'. Earlier in the meeting, Ms Champion also expressed 'frustration' that Baroness Chapman's opening remarks had been widely reported in the media, saying this was 'rather disrespectful to the committee'. Baroness Chapman said she accepted the criticism and would ensure it did not happen again.
The Independent
13-05-2025
- Business
- The Independent
UK Government no longer ‘global charity', aid minister to tell MPs
The new aid minister will tell MPs that the days of the British Government acting as a 'global charity' are 'over', when she faces a Commons committee on Tuesday. Baroness Jenny Chapman will face the Commons International Development Committee for the first time since taking the aid role in February. Her appointment followed the resignation of Anneliese Dodds, who quit as development minister in protest at the decision to cut the aid budget to fund increased defence spending. She is expected to use her appearance before the committee on Tuesday to set out plans to focus aid spending on sharing British expertise, rather than providing money, telling MPs: 'The days of viewing the UK Government as a global charity are over.' Saying the Government remains 'committed to international development', she will add: 'We need to prioritise, be more efficient and focus on impact above all else. 'We have to get the best value for money, for the UK taxpayer, but also for the people we are trying to help around the world.' In February the international development budget was reduced from 0.5% of gross national income (GNI) to 0.3%. Coming shortly after US President Donald Trump's administration effectively gutted the US agency for international development, opponents suggested the UK cut would lead to lives being lost in the developing world. But Baroness Chapman is expected to say that developing countries want to move from receiving aid money to an approach described as 'partnering, not paternalism', pointing to a deal between the Met Office and its Bangladeshi counterpart to improve flood forecasting. She will say: 'We need to support other countries' systems where this is what they want, so they can educate their children, reform their own healthcare systems and grow their economies in ways which last. 'And, ultimately, exit the need for aid. 'With less to spend, we have no choice. Biggest impact and biggest spend aren't always the same thing.'
Times
12-05-2025
- Business
- Times
Britain ‘no longer a global charity' as aid budget slashed, ministers say
The days of Britain being a 'global charity' are over, ministers will declare on Tuesday, as they outline their approach to cutting the government's multi-billion aid budget by almost 50 per cent. Baroness Chapman of Darlington, the international development minister, will tell MPs that she is having to make hard choices over which areas to axe as a result of the prime minister's decision to divert aid spending to defence. Among projects already identified for closure include some supporting gender inclusion, education and improving digital access. Aid spending is due to fall from 0.5 per cent of UK gross national income to 0.3 per cent from 2027, resulting in budget cuts of £6.1 billion in development spending. Ministers have made clear that they do not
