Speak up and support the aid debate

Thank you for contacting me about our aid budget.

The UK's commitment to Foreign Aid means we can be proud to belong to a country that not only meets its responsibilities to the world's poorest, but in doing so best serves and protects its own security and interests. Our commitments on overseas aid were part of the 2015 manifesto on which I was elected. By continuing to meet the 0.7 per cent target on overseas aid, we are keeping the promise we made to the electorate.

Recent crises show why aid is so important for us in the UK as well as for developing countries. Whether it is in helping to prevent deadly diseases like Ebola from coming to the UK from West Africa, or enabling Syrian refugees and other would-be migrants to stay in their home region, our aid tackles the root causes of global problems that affect all of us.

Over the last five years, UK aid has been life-saving and life-changing for millions of the poorest people around the world. The Department for International Development (DFID) has supported 11 million children through school and helped more than 60 million people get access to clean water, better sanitation and improved hygiene conditions. DFID is also leading the global effort to save millions of girls from child marriage and Female Genital Mutilation.

Unfortunately, due to existing parliamentary commitments I was unable to attend the debate on our international development spending but a full transcript of the debate can be found here: https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2016-06-13/debates/16061315000001/ForeignAidExpenditure.

Thank you again for contacting me.