UK foreign aid cuts: What impact will it have? – BBC Newsnight

As MPs vote to approve a £4bn cut in the foreign aid budget, what impact will it have and what does it tell us about the government’s priorities? Please subscribe HERE http://bit.ly/1rbfUog

The government has fended off an attempt by MPs to force it to reverse its cut to spending on overseas aid.

The House of Commons voted by a majority of 35 to keep the budget for international development at 0.5% of national income.

But several Tory MPs joined Labour and other parties in an attempt to reinstate the 0.7% figure in place until earlier this year.

Ministers say the cut is needed to keep public debt down during the pandemic.

The government has faced cross-party criticism over the reduction – including from all the UK’s living former prime ministers – which amounts to almost £4bn.

But what impact will the cut have? BBC Newsnight’s Nick Watt reports.

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