London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Jun 02, 2026

UK Gov’t disregards law to cut aid spending

UK Gov’t disregards law to cut aid spending

British MP, Dominic R. Raab, who serves as Foreign Secretary and First Secretary of State in the United Kingdom Government of Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson, has been warned that he is breaking the law from Thursday, April 1, 2021, when a cut to the UK’s international aid budget comes into force without being approved by Parliament.

The Genisis of the development is that at a spending review in 2020, the chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, said the UK would temporarily reduce its aid budget from 0.7% to 0.5% of national income, according to the Guardian.

Spending target enshrined in law


MPs have said the decrease is likely to become permanent, with one MP describing the idea that the government would ever choose to put aid spending back. However, the 0.7% target is enshrined in law, meaning the government should bring forward a vote on reducing it, however, this was not fone.

According to a report from ‘The i” a British publication, a group of 28 MPs from seven different political parties have since written to Mr Raab claiming he is in breach of the law by failing to reach the 0.7 per cent goal instituted by David Cameron.

“The ex-Director of Public Prosecutions, Lord Macdonald of River Glaven, has recently investigated the legality of the Government’s failure to pass new legislation before the development cut was announced. He was clear that the International Development Act 2015 does not make provision to change the 0.7 per cent target itself, only to miss it.”

Layla M. Moran, the Liberal Democrats’ aid spokesperson told 'The i", “We are asking Dominic Raab to tell us what checks and processes this decision went through before being made."

Layla M. Moran, the Liberal Democrats’ aid spokesperson told 'The i', 'We are asking Dominic Raab to tell us what checks and processes this decision went through before being made.'


Johnson's Gov't bypassed parliamentary process


"We also urge him to bring this to Parliament for a vote when we return from Recess, even though it would be retrospective. The clear intention of the current law cannot be ridden roughshod over,” she said.

The lastest backlash comes as Johnson's Government has been avoiding checks and balances into its governance, including an inquiry into its disastrous handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

"The i" reported that when it comes to the cut in aid spending, critics have claimed that the Government does not want to hold a vote because it is nervous about the size of any Conservative backbench rebellion where as many as 30 Conservative MPs could oppose the cut.

Ironically, it is the same UK Government that has backed a controversial Commission of Inquiry into Governance in the Virgin Islands.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Japanese Technology Firm Fujitsu Launches Advanced Artificial Intelligence Tool for Corporate Disclosures
South Africa Officially Launches Nationwide Campaign for Highly Contested Local Government Elections
United Kingdom Commits Additional Funding for Unexploded Ordnance Clearance in Laos
Singapore Announces Stringent New Greenhouse Gas Regulations for Commercial Cooling Systems
Cambodia and Thailand Hold High-Level Border Security Talks at United Nations Headquarters
Myanmar Military Government and China Sign Major Agreement to Upgrade Media and Cultural Cooperation
Knife Attack at Swiss Train Station Leaves Three Injured in Suspected Act of Domestic Terrorism
Transnational Extortion Gang Threatens Canadian Police With Army of One Thousand Armed Operatives
Australia Imposes Forty-Two-Day Quarantine on Cruise Ship Passengers Following Deadly Hantavirus Outbreak
International Monetary Fund Unlocks Seven Hundred Million United States Dollars for Sri Lanka Following Economic Reforms
Australia Launches Record One Point Four Billion Dollar Lawsuit Against Chemical Giant 3M Over Contamination
China and Canada Foreign Ministers Meet in Ottawa in Effort to Stabilize Strained Diplomatic Ties
Indonesia Demands Urgent United Nations Security Council Reform Amid Escalating Global Conflicts
Extreme Weather Patterns Trigger Severe Drought in Madagascar and Destructive Flooding in East Africa
Indian State of Karnataka Faces Political Upheaval as Chief Minister Siddaramaiah Abruptly Resigns
Philippines and Japan Reaffirm Defense Ties as Crucial for Indo-Pacific Regional Stability
Norway Joins French Nuclear Deterrence Initiative in Major Shift for European Security Architecture
Global Critical Mineral Alliances Expand as Western Nations Move to Counter Chinese Supply Dominance
United States Imposes Fifty Percent Tariffs on Mexican Steel and Aluminum Ahead of Trade Pact Review
European Union and China Head Toward Major Trade Conflict Over Clean Technology Exports
United States Economic Growth Severely Downgraded to One Point Six Percent as Stagflation Fears Mount
World Health Organization Warns Central African Ebola Epidemic is Outpacing Containment Efforts
United States Treasury Department Conditions Sanctions Relief on Reopening of the Strait of Hormuz
Iranian Air Defenses Intercept and Destroy United States Military Drone Over Bushehr Province
Iranian Armed Forces Launch Ballistic Missiles Toward Unspecified Targets Prompting Regional Condemnation
United Nations Secretary-General Warns Global Order Facing Highest Level of Conflict Since 1945
Israel Issues Sweeping Evacuation Orders in Southern Lebanon Amid Intensified Hezbollah Conflict
Russia Announces Systemic Military Strikes Targeting Ukrainian Defense and Energy Infrastructure
United States and Iranian Negotiators Reach Draft Agreement to Extend Ceasefire and Resume Nuclear Talks
United Nations Security Council Deeply Divided Over United States Capture of Venezuelan President
US and Iran Exchange Direct Military Strikes Amid Fragile Gulf Ceasefire
World Health Organization Warns of Catastrophic Ebola Outbreak in DR Congo
Russia Threatens New Wave of Strikes on Ukrainian Infrastructure and Embassies
Scientists Warn Atlantic Ocean Currents Could Collapse Faster Than Projected
Anthropic Reaches $900 Billion Valuation in Historic AI Funding Round
Washington Imposes Crippling Sanctions on Iranian Maritime Authority
Japan and the Philippines Initiate Strategic Intelligence-Sharing Pact
Microsoft Deploys Autonomous Computer-Using AI Agents to Global Markets
Anthropic Secures $45 Billion Compute Infrastructure Agreement With SpaceX
U.S. Director of National Intelligence Resigns Amid Administration Shakeup
Micron Technology Crosses Trillion-Dollar Valuation Amid Unprecedented Hardware Demand
Canada and Germany Finalize Historic Long-Term LNG Export Agreement
China Expands International Travel Restrictions on Domestic AI Researchers
Japan Approves Sweeping Overhaul of National Intelligence Apparatus
Global Airlines Scramble Logistics as Middle East Airspace Remains Fractured
Japan's Naphtha Imports Plunge 47 Percent Amid Strait of Hormuz Closure
Global Crude Prices Retreat Below $96 as Gulf Tensions Momentarily Ease
Generative AI Outperforms Human Baselines in Landmark Global Creativity Study
NASA Partners With Private Aerospace to Unveil Permanent Lunar Base Architecture
South Korean Equity Markets Surge on Next-Generation Memory Chip Frenzy
×