This June, Boris Johnson announced the merging of the Foreign Office (FCO) and the Department for International Development (DfID).⠀
He said that this would ensure that the two areas of overseas policy are closer aligned, and that the international development budget would be spent more in line with the U.K.'s "political and commercial interests".⠀
This merger is certainly not unprecedented, as over the last 60 years several Conservative governments have merged the two departments while Labour governments have separated them. However, the move has come under fire, noticeably from three former prime ministers - including Conservative David Cameron.⠀
The main concern is that some foreign aid could be used instead for national security and as a bargaining tool to further Britain's geopolitical interests, rather than for reducing poverty. Another worry is that distinctions between foreign policy and development policy could be blurred, possibly leading to the Government focusing on only its own interests and lacking the balance that the DfID provides with its focus on humanitarian issues.⠀
The Government has reaffirmed its commitment to spend the UN target of 0.7% of its budget on foreign aid, however questions still remain about whether the DfID's work will continue to a similar effect, or whether the merger with the FCO will reduce it to an afterthought and see its budget being spent under the guise of aid but in reality being used as extra cash to further Britain's foreign policy aims.⠀
Written by James Gordon
Artwork by Zara Masood
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