Ring-fencing the development budget has long been a key part of the Conservative cuts agenda. Just last month, the International Development Secretary, Andrew Mitchell, was on The Andrew Marr Show, defending the decision as having been taken on moral and “national interest” grounds, and denying that it had anything to do with detoxifying the Tories’ political brand. His rhetoric was unequivocal:
Subscribe to The New Statesman today from only £8.99 per month
Content from our partners
