Latest news with #BaronessChapman
The Independent
2 days ago
- Health
- The Independent
Aid minister says situation in Gaza is so dire that she ‘would loot too'
The international aid minister has said the situation in Gaza is so dire that she 'would loot too' if she was there. said the situation is 'horrific… we have severely malnourished children who are susceptible to disease'. 'There is every likelihood that if aid doesn't go in quickly, we will be in the situation of famine, probably in the autumn,' Baroness Chapman added. She said: 'Keeping order is very, very difficult, and if you are starving and there is a truck of food… I would loot, who wouldn't?'If you need to feed your child.'
Daily Mail
05-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Fury as Labour peer accuses 'out of control' Ukrainian president Zelensky of 'scuppering' Russia peace deal with drone strikes on Kremlin airfields
A Labour peer triggered outrage today by suggesting Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky was 'out of control' and jeopardising efforts to end the war with Russia by approving a major drone strike. Octogenarian Lord Dale Campbell-Savours stunned the House of Lords by suggesting Mr Zelensky had been 'allowed to run amok' with his country's celebrated weekend attack on Russian airfields. The former MP suggested the embattled war leader had 'scuppered' the chances of reaching a truce in the deadly conflict being sought by US president Trump. Ukraine's Security Service claim the attack, dubbed operation Spider Web, destroyed or damaged 41 Russian aircraft, including strategic bombers. At the same time, Russia has continued to carry out strikes across Ukraine, including the targeting of residential areas. Lord Campbell-Savours, whose son is a Labour MP, was swiftly rebuked in the Lords by figures on all sides, including foreign minister Baroness Chapman of Darlington. Former defence chief Lord Stirrup, who led the Armed Forces from 2006 to 2010, icily said: 'Has the minister noticed any reticence or reluctance on the part of President Putin to killing Ukrainian civilians while so-called peace talks continue? 'And has she identified any actions at all on the part of the American administration to try and compel President Putin down that path of reticence?' US President Donald Trump said this week Mr Putin had told him 'very strongly' in a phone call that he would respond to Ukraine's daring drone attack on Russian air bases. Mr Zelensky, who has accepted a US ceasefire proposal and offered to meet Mr Putin in an attempt to break the stalemate in negotiations, wants more international sanctions on Russia to force it to accept a settlement. But Mr Putin has shown no willingness to meet Mr Zelensky and has indicated no readiness to compromise. US-led diplomatic efforts to end the long-running war have so far failed to make any significant progress. Raising the issue in Parliament, Lord Campbell-Savours said: 'Whilst recognising the sheer bravado of those who executed operation Spider Web, we have to accept that action has undermined Trump's wider initiative, jeopardised his offer on the provision of security guarantees, and hardened Russia's attitude on conflict resolution. 'How can we ever secure a settlement and avoid substantial defence costs being imposed on European taxpayers, if Zelensky is allowed to run amok with unilateral actions, therefore scuppering any prospect of an early settlement. 'Why can't we, with our long experience in diplomacy, think out of the box and engage with Trump's people in discussions with Russia over measures to end this war. 'We can't rely on Zelensky. He's out of control.' However, the peer's controversial view was rejected outright by Baroness Chapman, who said she 'profoundly' disagreed and repeated the UK Government's staunch support for Kyiv. She pointed out it was Russia's leader Vladimir Putin who could end the war, which he had triggered by his full-scale invasion in 2022. She added: 'President Trump wants to see peace. We want to see peace. President Zelensky has agreed to a ceasefire. 'The person who could achieve that ceasefire, who could bring peace to Ukraine, who could see the children return to their homes, is President Putin.' Her Tory counterpart Lord Callanan said: 'I completely agree with the minister's sentiments. 'I think Lord Campbell-Savours is absolutely wrong, and all of us who are strong supporters of Ukraine were greatly encouraged by the recent audacious attack on the Russian airfields, in which nobody was killed by the way, it was just equipment that was damaged. 'But to secure Ukrainian sovereignty in the longer term, it is vital that Ukraine possesses armed forces which have a strong strategic and tactical advantage in the region. 'So could the minister please update the House on the steps that the Government is taking to support the Ukrainian military, to ensure that it has troops which are well trained, well equipped in the longer term to our high standards to help deter further Russian aggression?' Lady Chapman pointed out the UK had committed £3 billion a year for as long as Ukraine needed it and also signed a '100-year' pact, which formalised economic and military support provided by Britain. She also highlighted UK efforts to establish a peacekeeping mission that would enforce a possible future ceasefire in Ukraine, a so-called coalition of the willing.
Telegraph
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Foreign aid cuts to hit women and girls, minister admits
Foreign aid budget cuts will hit education programmes and women and girls' initiatives, a Cabinet minister has admitted. Baroness Chapman of Darlington, who is charged with delivering the 40 per cent reduction to the overseas aid budget, has outlined her plans for the first time to MPs. She said that 'inevitably' there would be cuts in some areas, adding that it would be 'likely to be on education and gender'. Lady Chapman, a long-time ally of Sir Keir Starmer, was brought in after Anneliese Dodds quit as development minister ahead of the announcement to reduce the budget to fund defence. Speaking to the Commons international development committee, she said: 'Inevitably, this means that in some areas and countries there will be less to spend, and I think there's no point in being anything other than completely open about this, I think that is likely to be on education and gender.' She added: 'But in those areas, we can't turn away from them, we've got to make even more of our technical expertise – in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and across the UK more widely – and our diplomatic influence to lead.' The minister said that the Government instead would be focusing on programmes that tackled humanitarian crises in conflict zones, health and climate initiatives. The remarks prompted criticism from Sarah Champion, the committee's chairman and a senior Labour MP, who said that it showed the Government was 'no longer prioritising women and girls'. She told the Cabinet minister: 'I was just thinking of the girl in Malawi who's no longer getting her education supported. She probably doesn't care whether it's driven by ideology. She just knows that her opportunity is just collapsing. 'I have to say we've known each other for a long time, I know how passionate a defender you are of the rights of women and girls. Why on earth are you putting on record that we are no longer supporting education and we're no longer prioritising the rights of women and girls?' Lady Chapman insisted that the department would 'integrate and mainstream' support for women and girls, something that organisations involved supported. 'If you work in development and you don't have a passion for work on gender inequalities running through you, you're in the wrong business.' 'Deeply concerned' But when asked about plans for gender programmes, she said: 'I can't promise to protect every good programme, I just can't.' The charity sector also expressed concern about what the remarks meant for gender funding. Amelia Whitworth, of Plan International UK, said: 'We are also deeply concerned to hear that funding to support and promote gender equality may be under threat. We can only uphold the rights and dignity of girls and women if we invest in addressing their specific needs.' The details about how the cuts will affect Britain's contribution to international aid are likely to prompt further anger amongst Labour MPs, who have already expressed frustration over the plans. The Prime Minister promised earlier this year that defence spending would be increased to 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2027, a move announced after Donald Trump's inauguration. Lord Cameron wrote into law that foreign aid should be 0.7 per cent of gross national income (GNI) after he won the 2010 general election, but the foreign aid budget already falls below it. About £2 billion a year is still being taken out of the budget to fund housing for asylum seekers in British hotels.
The Independent
13-05-2025
- Business
- The Independent
UK cuts to international aid will have huge impact, minister admits
The UK's large-scale aid cuts will have a 'huge impact', the new development minister has admitted to MPs – but that the days of viewing Britain 'as a global charity' are over. Jenny Chapman replaced Anneliese Dodds as development minister in February. Dodds resigned in protest at the prime minister's plan to cut aid spending from 0.5 per cent to 0.3 per cent of the UK's gross national income (GNI) – a measure of the nation's total wealth. That amounts to roughly £6 billion cut from a current budget of £15.4bn. Addressing the international development select committee, Baroness Chapman said the UK needed to 'sharpen our focus' on health, the climate crisis and humanitarian aid in Gaza, Ukraine and Sudan, 'which is actually where the public expects us to lead'. But this would likely come at the expense of programmes around women and girls ' education, she said. 'There will be a huge impact, I'm not pretending otherwise,' Chapman said 'I can't promise to protect every good programme'. Baroness Chapman went on to claimthere was an "absolute crisis" in public support for international aid, adding that "many of our partner countries" also wanted to "move on from this model". Monica Harding, the Liberal Democrat spokesperson on the committee, said other polling suggested UK residents did support foreign aid when it is, 'within their interests, when it supports defence and security and soft power'. Arguing that the UK needed to focus more on sharing expertise than providing cash, Baroness Chapman said: "While our commitment to helping those living through emergencies is unwavering - for countries developing, we need to be an investor and not just a donor. "It's about partnership and not paternalism." An explicit plan to spend less on gender might appear to mirror the rhetoric coming from across the Atlantic, as Donald Trump has ruthlessly slashed any spending he considers to be in the service of 'gender ideology.' millions on the brink of famine to derailing the end of the AIDS pandemic, driving millions of preventable deaths. But Chapman was keen to put a distance between Labour's plans and the US's blitz on all aid - especially any project that has a whiff of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). Asked by Harding whether these plans were 'just following the US', Chapman denied the claim. 'We have made our choice for very very different ideological reasons. This is about necessity and having to shift some spending to defence,' Baroness Chapman said. 'We maintain our commitment to go back to 0.7 [per cent] when we can'. In the future, the UK should offer its 'expertise' from its education, health, tech and financial sectors to support countries to build their own systems, Chapman said. The alternative would be to 'salami slice without strategy,' which would be 'wrong'. An analysis by Save the Children previously shared with The Independent found 'savage' cuts to UK foreign aid would leave 55.5 million of the world's poorest people without access to basic resources. Chair of the international devleopment committee, Sarah Champion, said development money - which usually sits in a different pot from humanitarian money - is 'how you prevent conflicts in the future. It is how you prevent terrorists in the future'. The plans will be finalised by 11 June when the spending review, setting out government departments' budgets, closes. Baroness Chapman also pushed back on estimates from The One Campaign which suggested UK aid cuts could lead to 600,000 preventable deaths and 38 million fewer children being vaccinated, saying the government hadn't got the point of making those decisions yet. More clarity on where the UK's aid cuts will fall will come in the summer.
The Independent
13-05-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Aid groups hit back over development minister's ‘charity' comments
Aid organisations have hit back at the international development minister after she said the days of the UK Government acting as a 'global charity' were over. Groups including Plan International UK and Bond said they rejected Baroness Jenny Chapman's description of aid during her appearance in front of the Commons International Development Committee on Tuesday. Baroness Chapman, who took over as development minister in February after Anneliese Dodds resigned over cuts to the aid budget, told MPs: 'The world has changed, and with it so must our approach. 'The days of viewing the UK Government as a global charity are over.' Baroness Chapman went on to say there was an 'absolute crisis' in public support for international aid, adding that 'many of our partner countries' also wanted to 'move on from this model'. Arguing that the UK needed to focus more on sharing expertise than providing cash, she said: 'While our commitment to helping those living through emergencies is unwavering – for countries developing, we need to be an investor and not just a donor. 'It's about partnership and not paternalism.' But her remarks drew condemnation from aid organisations, who warned that recent cuts to the aid budget could cost lives in the developing world. Amelia Whitworth, head of policy at the charity Plan International UK, said: 'We entirely reject the notion that international development budgets are about acting as a 'global charity'. 'This framing is not only wrong, it is dangerous. International development funding is a vital pillar of a government's foreign policy. It helps build a safer, more stable and more prosperous world for everyone.' Gideon Rabinowitz, director of policy at NGO network Bond, said: 'UK aid isn't about charity, it is about global solidarity and responsibility to our international commitments, and it's an investment in a safer, healthier and more sustainable world that benefits us here in the UK.' Challenged over her remarks by committee chairwoman Sarah Champion, who said she 'never saw aid as charity', Baroness Chapman said she agreed, but had to 'speak very bluntly' when communicating with the public. She said: 'We are not talking to ourselves and I want the public to know, I want them to have confidence in the money that we are spending so we get their consent to continue with this agenda.' Baroness Chapman's appearance at the committee followed the Government's decision in February to slash the aid budget from 0.5% of gross national income to 0.3% in order to pay for increased defence spending. The move prompted Ms Dodds's resignation from the role and sparked concern that it could cost lives in the developing world, coming soon after US President Donald Trump's decision to effectively gut the US Agency for International Development. The UK's decision effectively cuts the aid budget by 40%, something Baroness Chapman said could not be done 'without thinking about what you are doing'. Earlier in the meeting, Ms Champion also expressed 'frustration' that Baroness Chapman's opening remarks had been widely reported in the media, saying this was 'rather disrespectful to the committee'. Baroness Chapman said she accepted the criticism and would ensure it did not happen again.
