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The Conservatives have some good policies in their manifesto, but these would be seriously undermined by merging DFID with another government department.
Boris Johnson starts his tenure as Prime Minister at a time of unprecedented global challenges. He inherits the need to ensure Britain is a force for good in the world, including making an unequivocal commitment to women’s rights.
As Brexit looms and the UK forges a new path outside the EU, foreign aid should remain part of the Global Britain aspiration. Tackling gender inequality that locks women in poverty is key to bringing about long-term sustainable change.
Rt Hon Dame Margaret Hodge, Public Accounts Committee chair until 2015, visited Zambia with ActionAid UK earlier this year to see how the UK foreign aid budget saves lives. While the Department of International Development is regarded as a world leader in effective aid, a National Audit Office report published today criticised the lack of transparency among other government departments spending that money. Here, she reflects on the report and on the urgent need for action to ensure taxpayers - and beneficiaries - get value for money.
UK aid is the financial support Britain gives to poorer countries to promote sustainable development, eliminate world poverty and help people whose lives have been destroyed by disaster or conflict.
Following a turbulent British election campaign, no party has an overall majority of MPs. This is known as a hung Parliament, and means that no party can pass new laws on its own. The Conservatives are the largest party and right now it seems that the most likely outcome is that they will form a minority Government, possibly with the help of smaller parties such as the DUP. But what will that mean for the rights of women and girls in developing countries? We take a look at what the new Government might look like and what we can expect from it.