Senior Labour MP suggests government has lost ‘moral compass’ over foreign aid cut

A senior Labour MP has suggested the government must rediscover its “moral compass” as he criticised the decision to cut the overseas aid budget.

Barry Gardiner, a former shadow cabinet minister, said he was proud to serve as a Labour MP during the Tony Blair and Gordon Brown premierships when the Department for International Development was established.

He added: “I was proud when the leader [of the House of Commons Lucy Powell] and I stood on a manifesto which committed us — promised — that we would restore the international aid budget to 0.7% of GNI.

“So could we have a debate, please, in government time on how it may be possible to find… a lost moral compass?”

Speaking at House business questions, Powell responded: “I think we all share the pride that the previous Labour government did in the area of debt reduction and aid for some of the poorest countries across the world.

“We are also proud that we have a commitment, which is a commitment which remains, to returning our aid budget to 0.7% of GDP [sic]. We did have a statement to this House by the prime minister about the need for us to find some extra funding for defence expenditure in the changing and uncertain and insecure world in which we find ourselves.

“But we remain absolutely committed to returning the aid budget to the 0.7% levels we set.”

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