Britain is no longer a leader in international giving
A cut from 0.7% to 0.5% of gross national income is only one sign of that
THANKS TO SOCIAL distancing and the wartime atmosphere created by the covid-19 pandemic, the House of Commons has not been a terribly dramatic place for the past year. The vote on foreign aid on July 13th was an exception. MPs lambasted the Conservative government’s decision to cut aid, accusing it of abandoning the world’s indigent at the worst possible time. Even Theresa May, the previous prime minister, rebelled—the first time she has voted against a Conservative three-line whip since becoming an MP 24 years ago.
This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline “The final cut”
Britain July 17th 2021
- England is building more homes than it has for many years
- Opponents of housebuilding claim to care more about the environment than prices
- Britain is no longer a leader in international giving
- Achieving net-zero carbon emissions will be eye-wateringly expensive
- An amnesty for Northern Irish killers is supposed to draw a line under the Troubles
- The shortage of HGV drivers in Britain is getting worse
- Liverpool’s changing skyline defies UNESCO
From the July 17th 2021 edition
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No sunlight or fresh food for months
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Britain’s ban on arms sales to Israel mixes politics and legalism
The government has outlined grounds for concern but not a coherent rationale
Britain and the EU find it easier to talk about guns than butter
But closer ties in foreign and security policy are still not easy to forge