Question
In the discussions that the Foreign Secretary is holding with European countries, is he also emphasising the vital role that soft power and the international development budget play in promoting security? Does he realise that since this Government’s cuts in spending on international development, we now allocate less for Africa from the development budget than we allocate to UK postcodes from that same budget for first-year asylum seeker costs?
Answer
The right hon. Gentleman speaks with enormous authority about these issues and has a proud record in that regard, and I could not agree with him more on the substantive part of his question about the role that international development plays. He may know that as part of our G20 presidency next year we have committed ourselves, in fiscally constrained times, to seeking to do more about the combination of the debt burden, climate breakdown, and the need to bring about growth and tackle poverty in developing countries. We must accept the fiscal constraints that we face, but that does not mean we cannot act through, for instance, the multilateral development banks. I look forward to working on these issues with the right hon. Gentleman, and with other Members on both sides of the House.33% vibes
Verdict: RED (20/100)
The reply was mostly non-committal. On the first point, about whether the Foreign Secretary emphasises soft power or development in talks with European countries, it mentioned the G20 presidency and multilateral development banks but never said which emphasis the Foreign Secretary takes, so the question is only partly answered and in general terms. On the second point, comparing African development spending with UK first-year asylum costs, the reply did not say whether the Government is aware of that comparison and only referred generally to fiscal constraints. A member of the public would likely need to ask again for specifics on both points.
How we got there
| Question item | Coverage | Specificity | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| Is the Foreign Secretary, in his discussions with European countries, emphasising the role that soft power and the international development budget play in promoting security? | Partially Addressed | Hedged | The reply agrees that international development plays a role and cites the G20 presidency commitment and multilateral development banks, but it never says whether the Foreign Secretary emphasises soft power or development in discussions with European countries, which is the specific engagement asked about. |
| Is the Government aware that, following cuts to international development spending, the amount allocated from the development budget for Africa is less than the amount allocated from that budget for first-year asylum seeker costs in UK postcodes? | Not Addressed | Generic | The reply never states whether the Government is aware of the comparison between Africa development spending and UK first-year asylum costs; its only related remark is a general acknowledgement of fiscal constraints, which does not engage with the specific figures. |