Images from Sudan, Ukraine, and Gaza are stark reminders of the intense pressures currently placed on development budgets. Beyond these crises, however, the enduring challenges of ending hunger, improving global health, and expanding opportunity remain as pressing as ever. Yet here in the UK, as in other traditional donor nations, the resources dedicated to tackling both emergencies and long-term development goals continue to be scaled back — often with minimal public opposition.
The commitments made under the International Development Act 2015 were, I believe, seen by many in the development sector as a settled matter. But a failure to consistently and convincingly communicate why the UK should invest in health, education, and humanitarian relief overseas has left Official Development Assistance vulnerable to the cuts we now face.
Conservative Friends of International Development must therefore renew and reframe the case for development assistance. When properly targeted and delivered, it can reduce disease transmission, prevent avoidable illness, and empower individuals to realise their potential — lifting millions out of poverty. Crucially, we must emphasise that this is not charity. It is strategic investment in the UK’s safety and prosperity.
Our role, however, is not merely to advocate for development — we must shape its future. The current upheavals at home and abroad present a timely opportunity to do just that.
By applying long-held Conservative principles of rigour, transparency, value for money, and impact, we can maximise what remains of the Official Development Assistance budget, design programmes that resonate with public expectations, and ultimately restore public and political support.