Re-imagining UK aid – What a progressive strategy could look like

Type: Campaign briefings
Date: 14 July 2017
Campaigns: Aid

For over a decade a consensus has existed at Westminster on overseas aid, with the mainstream political parties all backing the 0.7% spending target. Achieving this consensus was a considerable achievement. But the focus on how big the aid budget is has prevented a robust debate over how this money should be spent, what it should be spent on, and why.

For too long aid spending has been driven by notions of charity, national self-interest, and an ideological belief that free markets and multinational business can solve the world’s problems. A new progressive vision for UK aid is urgently needed. It must be re-focused on principles of social justice and the need to redistribute economic and political power in the world. This report lays out the key ways in which this can be achieved.