The UK was the only G7 member to cut foreign aid last year

Boris Johnson’s drive to cut overseas spending puts him at odds with Joe Biden and every other major Western leader.

As world leaders gather in Cornwall for this year’s G7 summit, a row over the UK government’s cuts to foreign aid risks upending hopes for a smooth diplomatic debut for “Global Britain”.

As our US editor Emily Tamkin exclusively revealed earlier this week, American legislators have called on US President Joe Biden to condemn the planned cut from 0.7 per cent of the UK’s gross national income (GNI) to 0.5 per cent. The letter, signed by a number of leading Democratic lawmakers, accuses the British government of “undermin[ing] our collective global response” to the pandemic.