Author: David Taylor
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New Statesman: Mitchell’s “silent withdrawal” of aid budget ringfencing
This from the New Statesman, full story here: In a recent interview with the New Statesman, Mitchell admitted that the promise to ringfence the development budget was “the sort of thing you make in opposition, then rather regret in government.” As the autumn spending review looms, the pressure on departments to find spending cuts is…
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Labour reaction to the DfID cuts
Responding to leaked plans from senior civil servants at the Department for International Development to scrap 100 key targets and projects – from increasing support to fair trade, to supporting health and education and the UN Peacebuilding Fund, Shadow Minister for International Development Gareth Thomas MP said: “This leaked list is deeply shocking. It shows…
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Sky News: “You said it, Dave.”
The leaked DfID documents propose cuts to 100 of Labour’s aid commitments, broken by Left Foot Forward and covered by the FT and the Telegraph has now made Sky News. Here’s an extract: “the document divides development pledges into several other categories: those with strong public backing, those with vocal individual support, those with strong…
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Mitchell’s ‘ouput-based’ crusade risks trying DfID in knots
by David Taylor, for Left Foot Forward Earlier today Left Foot Forward published a leaked document from the Department for International Development showing a list of nearly 100 public commitments recommended for the chop. But behind the headlines, International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell’s “focus on outputs and outcomes” raises two key questions. Firstly, if close to 100…
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Invitation: Labour in the World Leadership Hustings
Bristol | 09 September | 7.00pm UPDATE: Sign up for the hustings has now closed. If you have any questions, please contact eilidh@lcid.org.uk The Labour Campaign for International Development, Young Fabians, SERA and Co-operative Youth warmly invite you to attend our Labour Leadership Hustings. Come along and quiz Andy Burnham, Diane Abbott, Ed Balls, David…
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Brown calls for new focus on African growth – and a mass roll out of broadband Internet
First published on Labour List Gordon Brown yesterday used his first major speech since leaving office to discuss the issue that has inspired him since childhood – development in Africa. In a speech to African Union leaders at their summit in Kampala, Gordon Brown called for a new approach to growth and aid on the continent.…
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Tony Blair writes about Sierra Leone in The Sun
This week, read Tony Blair piece in The Sun reflecting on Gleneagles five years on and his African Governance Initiative charity’s work in Sierra Leone. As Prime Minister, my first major interaction with Sierra Leone was when it was going through a tragic civil war. Britain stepped in and helped the government there to end…
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Aid is a marathon not a sprint
Douglas Alexander writes in The Guardian today that ‘the coalition has failed to commit fully to international aid, yet it is a policy that remains morally right and in our common interest.’ “Instead of creating straw men to burn ceremoniously in an ill-conceived strategy to placate sceptics on the right of his party, Andrew Mitchell…
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Cameron fails to fight for world’s poor as G8 drops $50bn aid pledge
First posted on Left Foot Forward. When Harriet Harman asked David Cameron last week to give due credit to Gordon Brown for his work on development, he replied: “I’d be delighted to, if he could be bothered to turn up to this House.” Apart from being disrespectful to a former prime minister and Chancellor respected…
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Invitation: Join LCID as we host Douglas Alexander – This Tuesday!
Join Labour Campaign for International Development as we host Rt Hon Douglas Alexander, Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State for International Development. Tuesday 29 June | 7.30-8.30pm Grand Committee Room, Houses of Parliament Almost five years since 250,000 marched through the streets of Edinburgh in support of Make Poverty History, and millions around the world took part in…
Labour Campaign for International Development 