Dear Constituent,
Thank you for contacting me about the merger of the Department for International Development and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
The new Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) will place UK Aid at the heart of what it does, leveraging the development expertise of DFID through the reach of the FCO’s global network. The merger is set to be completed by September and the new department will be led by the Foreign Secretary.
The United Kingdom has been at the heart of the international effort to tackle Covid-19, and the current crisis has shown just how important it is that development and diplomatic efforts are fused together more closely in order to maximise our international impact and make the biggest difference to people’s lives.
I welcome the Prime Minister’s reassurance that the merger is not about rolling back commitments on international development, but about pursuing them with greater effect, and that reducing poverty will remain central to the UK’s international work. The UK remains committed to spending 0.7 per cent of GNI on international development, and is the only G7 country to have enshrined this in legislation.
Thank you again for taking the time to contact me and I hope that this is helpful.
Yours sincerely,
Mel Stride MP
MP for Central Devon
