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

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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