Official Development Assistance

That this House expresses concern over the Government’s decision to reduce the UK’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) from 0.5% to 0.3% of GNI; agrees on the importance of strengthening the UK’s national security and defence commitments in light of increasing global security challenges, but rejects funding this through cuts to international aid; recognises that cuts to ODA diminish the UK’s soft power and create a vacuum into which Russian and Chinese influence will flow; acknowledges the connection between international aid and conflict prevention abroad, and the benefits to UK security of promoting global stability; notes that ODA investment is essential in tackling poverty, reducing instability and addressing the causes of conflict and migration; regrets that this represents the UK’s lowest aid contribution as a share of GNI since 1999 and a deeper cut than those made by the Trump administration, damaging the UK’s reputation as a global leader in humanitarian assistance and development; further notes with alarm that a significant proportion of UK ODA is being spent on in-donor refugee costs rather than poverty reduction overseas; calls on the Government to reconsider this decision and implement Liberal Democrat proposals to meet its 2.5% defence spending commitment without cutting international aid; and urges Ministers to reaffirm the UK’s commitment to global security, development and humanitarian leadership.