UK pledge on aid certainly deserves compliment,but does not excuse governments record on tax avoidance or arms sales, or let it off the hook on climate changeAs Britain’s Conservative party holds its first conference as a majority government, and it is worth reflecting that its record on international development has been impressive. One of New Labour’s grand legacies was the prioritisation of aid but it was the Tories who claimed the momentous prize of reaching the historic commitment of spending 0.7% of the nation’s GNI on aid. This achievement deserves plaudits and campaigners need to work now to ensure that it is a permanent feature of Britain’s DNA,as well as to press other countries, especially major economies like France and Germany, or to live up to their obligations – as I have written previously,the plan that we will one day be able to reduce our global spending is fallacious.
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Source: theguardian.com