Shadow chancellor to pledge further cuts to foreign aid – as Tories vow to ‘stand up for fiscal responsibility’
The Tories will pledge to make even further cuts to the foreign aid budget, as the party attempts to regain its reputation for fiscal responsibility in the wake of the Truss mini-budget.
Shadow chancellor Sir Mel Stride will unveil plans to cut overseas development aid to 0.1% of Gross National Income (GNI), down from the current 0.3%, cementing a sea change in the Conservative Party’s position on international aid.
In his keynote speech to the party conference in Manchester, Sir Mel will claim that his plans can save £47bn over the next parliament, which include cuts to welfare, the civil service, and green subsidies.
In the wake of the Truss mini-budget that saw the pound fall and interest rates soar, the senior MP will say that his party will “never, ever make fiscal commitments without spelling out exactly how they will be paid for”, and commit to fiscal responsibility.
A key part of Sir Mel’s plans to demonstrate that is to reduce foreign aid to 0.1% of GNI, or around £3bn per year – down from spending of an estimated £9.4bn in 2028-29.
The Boris Johnson government reduced aid spending to 0.5% of GNI in 2021, in order to pay for the vast public spending during the pandemic. Sir Keir Starmer announced a further cut to 0.3% of GNI earlier this year to pay for the increase in defence spending.
Bond, the network for organisations working in international development and humanitarian assistance, has hit out at the announcement, describing it as “reckless, short-sighted, and morally indefensible”.
Its chief executive, Romilly Greenhill, told Conservatives at a fringe event at the Tory Party conference on Sunday: “Let’s just be really clear, such a policy would negatively impact millions of people around the world.
“It would harm deeply vital programmes being made in reducing, eradicating, killer diseases, and it would also severely undermine our ability to respond to devastating global crises.”
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Does it matter that foreign aid has been cut in the UK?
But the Tories say they “cannot justify taxing people in this country to pay for billions of spending abroad”, and it marks the death-knell of Tory former prime minister David Cameron’s target of spending 0.7% of GNI on aid, announced in 2011.
Welfare, green subsidies, and asylum hotels to face the chop
Another key area where Sir Mel will pledge to make savings will be the welfare system, where they claim £23bn can be cut.
He will say that narrowing the eligibility for sickness benefits, stopping claims from people with “low-level mental health problems” who could be treated instead, limiting the VAT subsidy for Motability, and reforming job-seeking obligations are key areas where savings can be made.
But a major change will be restricting welfare to British citizens – bringing Tory party policy in line with Reform UK.
But he will vow to reverse any decision from the current Labour government to lift the two-child benefit cap, which stands in contrast with Nigel Farage’s party that wants to lift it.
Sir Mel is expected to say the reforms are essential not just for balancing the books, but for tackling the deeper social damage caused by long-term dependency.
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Tories would quit European Convention on Human Rights
Another key target of the shadow chancellor is the civil service, where he will argue that £8bn in savings can be made by reducing the headcount from 517,000 down to 2016 levels of 384,000.
Scrapping the Climate Change Act and “costly and ineffective green subsidies being pushed by Ed Miliband” is also on Sir Mel’s agenda. The Tories say there are savings of £1.6bn a year to be made in this area.
And closing all asylum hotels will save at least £3.5bn, the Tories say – at least £1.6bn of which they have already allocated to their new ICE-style “removals force”, to detain and remove 150,000 illegal migrants per year.
In his speech, Sir Mel Stride MP is expected to say: “The Conservative Party will never, ever make fiscal commitments without spelling out exactly how they will be paid for.
“We’re the only party that gets it. The only party that will stand up for fiscal responsibility. We must get on top of government spending.
“We cannot deliver stability unless we live within our means. No more pretending we can keep spending money we simply do not have.”
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Is the Tory party a ‘distressed asset’?
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‘Trussonomics is still in full swing’
But Labour Party chair Anna Turley said: “The Tories let welfare bills, civil service numbers and asylum hotel use skyrocket on their watch – and they’ve never apologised. Now they want to rehash failed promises from their failed manifesto to try to solve the problems they caused.
“This is the same old Tories, with the same old policies. They didn’t work then and you can’t trust them now.”
And Liberal Democrat Treasury spokeswoman Daisy Cooper said it was “clear the Conservative Party learnt absolutely nothing from their disastrous handling of the economy, which left families struggling with a cost-of-living crisis and public services on their knees”.
She added: “Cutting vital support to bring household bills down, trying to balance the books on the backs of people with mental health conditions and slashing the UK’s soft power abroad through aid budget cuts shows Trussonomics is still in full swing.”
Andrew always denied the allegations – but the repeated accusations would not go away.
And his associations risked real reputational damage to the royal family.
His friendship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, his dealings with an alleged Chinese spy, and then the posthumous publication of his accuser, Virginia Giuffre’s memoir.
Her family said she brought down a British prince with her truth and extraordinary courage.
The piling pressure was starting to overshadow the work of Andrew’s wider family. And with the Prince of Wales soon heading to Brazil for his Earthshot award, enough was enough.
We understand the Royal Family, including Prince William backed the King’s leadership on this matter.
The King made the decisions, his family supported them.
Both Andrew, and former secretary of state Peter Mandelson’s public lives have been dismantled by their relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. Pic: PA
Andrew will leave Royal Lodge, his large home on the Windsor estate. His ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, who also lived there, will “make her own arrangements”.
It was their family home for many years. Both daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, who grew up there, will keep their titles.
Andrew’s ex-wife has continued to live at the Royal Lodge estate but will now be left to make her own housing arrangements. Pic: PA
As for Andrew, he will soon move to Sandringham – the King’s private Norfolk estate – where the family traditionally gathers for Christmas; and he will be funded privately by the King.
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This is all a formal process carried out in consultation with official authorities, but the government supports the decision taken.
This will not have been easy for the King, but he knew he could not ignore public opinion. The criticism and anger directed at Andrew was never going to stop – and only he had the power to take the ultimate action against his own brother.
For years, Andrew enjoyed the perks and privileges of his powerful position, but his birthright could not withstand withering public disdain.
And now he’s paid the ultimate price.
Corridor care in Britain’s hospitals is a “crisis in plain sight”, a charity has warned, with patients complaining of long waits and warzone-like conditions.
An Age UK report describes “truly shocking” incidents of elderly people waiting days for care, including them hearing and seeing others dying as they wait.
According to the latest figures for England, 75% of patients were seen within four hours in A&Es in September.
But the number of people waiting more than 12 hours from the decision to admit to actually being admitted – known as “corridor care” – stood at 44,765, a jump from 35,909 in August.
Describing her experience, a 79-year-old woman from south London told Age UK: “The corridors were lined with patients on trolleys, hooked up to drips, some moaning in pain.
“It reminded me of war films, with queues of stretchers and people suffering.”
Others spoke of “puddles of urine” on the floor as immobile patients are unable to go to the toilet – and patients being forced to use bedpans in corridors.
The report raises concerns that poor quality care “is now almost expected” in some A&E departments and warns the situation could “get worse” as the NHS heads into winter.
One person said her friend’s mother was left waiting “ages when she was having a heart attack, and died before receiving any care”.
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‘The NHS saved my daughter – then took support away’
Age UK said many patients are now unwilling to go to A&E, even if they are in a life-threatening situation.
It called on the government to “urgently” tackle corridor care, with specific deadlines for ending long waits, as it warned older people have been disproportionately affected.
Responding to the criticism, health minister Karin Smyth told Sky News: “The stories in this report are heartbreaking.
“No one should receive care in a corridor – it’s unacceptable, undignified, and we are determined to end it.
“To tackle a problem, you’ve got to be honest about it. For the first time, the NHS will measure and publish the number of patients waiting in corridors.”
The government is investing £450m to build same-day urgent and emergency care centres, buy 500 new ambulances, build 40 new mental health crisis centres, and give NHS leaders on the ground more power to deliver local solutions.
Ms Smyth also urged people to get vaccinated, as flu season has arrived weeks earlier than usual.
“I’ll be at that gate with my kilt,” says Inverness protester Thomas.
He was one of the first people Sky News met as we visited the Highland city preparing to welcome 300 male asylum seekers at a 150-year-old army barracks just minutes from the High Street.
But if our experience testing the temperature is anything to go by, it seems the welcome will be far from the traditional hospitality this part of the world is famous for.
The Scottish Highlands currently has no asylum seekers, according to the latest Home Office data. It makes it a unique part of Britain as other communities witness rising numbers of arrivals.
The UK government is planning drastic changes in the coming weeks. It announced plans to bring 309 male asylum seekers to Cameron army barracks in Inverness.
The military base was built in 1876 and now looks set to become Britain’s most northern migrant centre as officials aim to cut the use of costly asylum seeker hotels.
An aerial view of the barracks being earmarked by the government
Thomas, who did not want to share his full name, said he had signed a petition against the proposals and hinted he was ready to campaign against it.
He said: “I’ll be at that gate with my kilt on.
“I’ll be there with posters and shouting ‘get tae’. I think we are more scared. I think it’s more invasion.”
Fellow protester Chloe said: “Everyone is scared. I am worried for my child.”
She cited the recent conviction of migrant Deng Chol Majek, who stabbed hotel worker Rhiannon Whyte to death with a screwdriver in the West Midlands.
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Asylum seeker found guilty of murder
Another man, who did not want to provide his name, told Sky News he was previously homeless.
“It’s disgusting. It’s a shambles. I wouldn’t want to say what I’d do to them (migrants) but I wouldn’t be putting them in the barracks,” he told us.
He concluded: “We should ship them back to their own country. They don’t deserve to be in this country.”
‘Extreme views’
I also met offshore wind engineer Kai Fraser, who said: “I have no problem with them being here. There are a few people who have got really big problems with it which are unfounded. They need to go somewhere.
“It is peddled by Farage and his ilk. It is exposing quite a few folks’ extreme views that were traditionally hidden behind closed doors.”
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Since the announcement was made by the Home Office, it has emerged Cameron Barracks requires a £1m revamp, including new boilers and the possible removal of asbestos.
Contract tender documents seen by The Times suggested the work was due to begin in January, weeks after the asylum seekers were supposed to be moving in.
There are questions over whether the arrivals could be delayed over fears of a legal challenge from migrants over the conditions. Councillors in Inverness are set to meet in the coming days amid suggestions they could use planning laws to block the plans.
Swinney: It’s a mess
Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney said UK ministers, who are responsible for the asylum system, had made “another mess”.
He said: “What will be the availability of healthcare services? What will be the availability of support services? We have no answers to these questions. The Home Office has given no answers whatsoever.”
A Home Office spokesperson said: “We are furious at the level of illegal migrants and asylum hotels.
“This government will close every asylum hotel. Work is well underway, with more suitable sites being brought forward to ease pressure on communities.
“We are working closely with local authorities, property partners and across government so that we can accelerate delivery.”
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