"Jenny Chapman, the development minister, said she was actively considering the closure of the Independent Commission for Aid Impact (ICAI), which examines projects funded by the 14bn aid budget. The move has been condemned by senior Labour and Conservative MPs, with one claiming it is an attempt to cover up the crime of cutting billions of pounds from aid. It also appears to contradict Labour's 2024 general election manifesto, in which it said it would work closely with the Independent Commission for Aid Impact."
"Asked by the Guardian if she plans to scrap the ICAI, which costs under 4m a year, Chapman said on Friday: With much less money to spend, we need to look at everything. As I wrote to the ICAI Commissioner yesterday, I have to ask myself what is the most strategic use of our funding, and best value for taxpayers. The prime minister wanted a line-by-line review of the aid budget, and there are no sacred cows."
"Chapman, a Labour peers and Starmer's former political secretary, first implied that the watchdog could be closed on Tuesday while being questioned by MPs on the Commons' international development committee. Asked about the government's plans for ICAI, Chapman said it would be really odd to hold back from reforming the body. The question I need to ask myself is has that investment achieved what it was designed to do and if part of it was sound public confidence? I would say no, she said."
Jenny Chapman, the development minister, said she is actively considering closing the Independent Commission for Aid Impact (ICAI), which examines projects funded by the 14bn aid budget. Chapman argued that reduced funds require reviewing every programme to ensure strategic use of funding and best value for taxpayers. The ICAI costs under 4m a year but provides independent scrutiny and value-for-money assessments. Senior Labour and Conservative MPs condemned the proposal, accusing the government of attempting to evade scrutiny while implementing deep aid cuts and noting a potential contradiction with Labour's 2024 manifesto commitment to work closely with ICAI. Committee chair Sarah Champion called removing the watchdog misguided amid increased need.
Read at www.theguardian.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]