UK Edition
Conservative manifesto: Tories to redraw definition of foreign aid to appease critical party members
The definition of foreign aid will be redrawn as part of an effort to put taxpayers' funds to better use, the Conservatives pledged.
The Tory manifesto, which included a robust defence of the UK's overseas spending, committed to continuing to spend 0.7 per cent of national income on overseas aid.
But the party said it would work to change the international definition of what constitutes aid.
The Conservatives want to "work with like-minded countries" to redraw the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s definition of overseas aid in order to ensure that UK funds “help the world’s most vulnerable people”. Ministers believe that the definition could be changed to encompass work that Britain already carries out abroad but which cannot currently count towards the 0.7 target.
The Conservative leadership hopes that modifying the way the budget is spent will help appease party members and voters who are opposed to maintaining the 0.7 per cent commitment, which amounts to around £13 billion per year.
The Prime Minister has come under considerable pressure to reduce the spending commitment following a series of scandals over where the money goes. A National Audit Office report published earlier this year found that allegations of fraud involving British foreign aid have risen more than four-fold in just five years.
Some Tories feared that sticking to the target could drive some voters to Ukip, which says that the majority of overseas spending should be shifted to the UK.
The average spend by other wealthy nations is just 0.4 per cent of GNI, while America spends just 0.18 per cent. But senior figures have insisted that the Tories should maintain the commitment.
Ruth Davidson, the Scottish Conservative leader, has publicly pushed for the party to recommit to the 0.7 per cent target, saying it would take “moral courage” for the UK to stick to its current level of spending.
The Tory manifesto said that British aid “helps millions and is a powerful statement of Global Britain’s place in the world.”
"It protects our interests: by building a safer, healthier, more prosperous world, we can protect our own people from disease, conflict and instability.
"This is the right ambition for a country with a global outlook, so we will maintain the commitment to spend 0.7 per cent of our gross national income on assistance to developing nations and international emergencies."
The manifesto set out the key areas on which a Conservative government would focus aid spending, including ending extreme poverty, saving children’s lives, and tackling sexual violence in conflict.
It added: "There are still ways that we can improve the way that taxpayers’ money is used to help the world’s most vulnerable people. We do not believe that international definitions of development assistance always help in determining how money should be spent, on whom and for what purpose.
“So we will work with like-minded countries to change the rules so that they are updated and better reflect the breadth of our assistance around the world.
“If that does not work, we will change the law to allow us to use a better definition of development spending, while continuing to meet our 0.7 per cent target.”
Andrew Mitchell, the former international development secretary and a leading proponent of maintaining the 0.7 per cent threshold, said: “It’s really good that the party has reconfirmed its support for the 0.7 per cent. I completely understand the view that the OECD rules can be improved and there are various ways that they could better reflect Britain’s development input.”