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
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
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The story of one NHS operation
And what it says about how to improve the productivity of Britain’s health service
The Sue Gray saga casts doubt on Sir Keir Starmer’s managerial chops
Faith in the prime minister’s technocratic credentials has been tested
Britain has agreed to cede the Chagos Islands to Mauritius
The Chagossians seem set to benefit less than China
Ukrainians are settling down in Britain. That creates a problem
A tricky decision for the new Labour government
Gigafactories and dashed dreams: the parable of Blyth
What one port town says about the British economy