Kate Osamor MP, Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State for International Development, responding to Priti Patel’s speech to Conservative Party Conference, said:
“Priti Patel’s speech was incredibly thin on substance.
“She made no commitments to better resource and staff DFID so it can properly oversee private sector contractors or to ensure other government departments actually raise their game and fix the cross-government aid spending chaos. Priti Patel implied she will seek to change the international aid rules in October to divert Official Development Assistance meant for the world’s poorest to "British citizens in our British territories”, instead of funding the territories’ Hurricane Irma recovery from across Whitehall.
“Labour will continue to spend 0.7 per cent of gross national income on overseas development assistance, and develop a targeted development agenda to tackle global inequality and poverty, to build a world that works for the many, not the few.“
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