Cross-party group urge Govt to agree to increased aid scrutiny in wake of DfID axe
A cross-party group has called on the Government to “allay the widespread concern” that UK international aid is under threat because of the axing of the Department for International Development (DfID) by agreeing to new Parliamentary scrutiny. Former Liberal Democrat Chair of the International Development Committee Lord Malcolm Bruce, who has coordinated the cross-party efforts, warned the Government must show it is “not turning its back on the world’s poorest.” In a letter to the Prime Minister, signed by over 70 parliamentarians, the group call for the Government’s support to retain the Independent Commission for Aid Impact (ICAI) and International Development Committee. The group also asks for a commitment to have a Development Minister in the Cabinet. Among the cross-party group include a number of former Ministers in DfID, the…