Oxfam reaction to the news that MPs have voted in favour of the government's motion to make the 0.7% national income international aid target dependent on OBR forecasts
Following the news that MPs have voted in favour of the Government's motion to make the 0.7% national income international aid target dependent on OBR forecasts, Danny Sriskandarajah, Oxfam GB chief executive, said:
“The outcome of today’s vote is a disaster for the world’s poorest people. With more people in need of humanitarian assistance than at any time since World War II, aid is needed more than ever.
“The cuts to UK aid are having a direct impact on thousands of lives today, and a delay in restoring aid will be felt for generations to come in parts of the world ravaged by conflict, climate change, and COVID-19 pandemic.
“We are seeing a yawning gap between the rhetoric of ‘Global Britain’ and the reality of a government breaking its promises to the world’s poorest and further undermining the UK’s credibility on the international stage.
“These cuts won’t balance the books; the Government is putting politics above the lives of world’s most vulnerable communities.”
Ends
For more information or interview requests please contact: Sophie Bowell, +44 (0) 7810 814980 / sbowell@oxfam.org.uk or the Oxfam media unit on +44 7748 761999 / media.unit@oxfam.org.uk