This archive report was first published on 16 June 2020.
On June 16, 2020, Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced plans to merge the country's diplomatic and aid departments, promising to promote British interests without cutting spending on overseas projects.
The move aims to bring together the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department for International Development, which have been criticized for duplicating efforts and wasting funds on frivolous projects.
Johnson argued that the merged department, to be called the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, would allow for spending in line with foreign policy aims and 'unite our aid with our diplomacy and bring them together in our international effort.'
However, the decision has been met with criticism from opposition leaders, who argue that it is a deliberate distraction from the government's coronavirus response and would diminish Britain's overseas influence.
Britain spent £15.2 billion on 'Official Development Assistance' in 2019, with almost three-quarters of that coming from the Department for International Development budget.
Former Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron, who wrote the pledge to spend 0.7% of gross national income on aid into law in 2015, warned that the merger would mean 'less expertise, less voice for development at the top table and ultimately less respect for the UK overseas.'
