Penny Mordaunt suggests Department for International Development should compete for money like charities
2 min read
The newly appointed International Development Secretary has suggested her department should compete for money in the same way charities have to.
Penny Mordaunt, who took over from Priti Patel following her secret meetings with Isreali officials, said officials needed to look at “whether people would choose to donate to Dfid” if they were given a choice.
In her first intervention since taking on the position, Ms Mordaunt wrote: “People want to know: what are you going to do with my money? How do I know you’ll spend it well? How will this improve the things that matter?
“This is the level of clarity and transparency we must achieve. That is not always easy: not least because of the complexity of funding relationships and the long-term nature of what we do.”
She wrote in the Daily Telegraph: “I believe in aid. I believe in the power it has to end disease, hunger and extreme poverty, to build strong economies and to help the world’s most vulnerable people live lives of dignity.
“Aid also allows us to influence and shape the world around us.”
The former armed forces minister added: “We must provide the public with confidence in how we achieve them. The question we face is whether people would choose to donate to DFID, as they do to so many other organisations working overseas. So I will build on the work of my predecessor when it comes to driving value for money.”
The UK is committed to spending 0.7% of gross national income (GNI) on aid, however the law has proved controversial with some MPs.
Ms Mordaunt said the Britain’s objective to “help the world’s poorest”, will only be achieved “by spending 0.7 per cent of GNI well”.
Ms Patel was forced to quit her job last week after it transpired she has held a host of secret meetings with Israeli officials and then attempted to cover it up.
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