Yesterday, Woking’s Conservative MP, voted in the House of Commons to support the Government’s cut to foreign aid, breaking a manifesto promise.

MPs were given the option to vote between restoring the Government’s commitment to spending 0.7% of Gross National Income on foreign aid, and a so-called compromise that would see the commitment return only after the arrival of economic conditions that, according to former Prime Minister Theresa May, may not come for years, and, according to the House of Commons library, have only been met once this century.

Woking’s MP, Jonathan Lord, voted for the Government’s proposal, risking the cuts to foreign aid becoming permanent, despite standing on a promise to maintain the 0.7% commitment at the last General Election. 

I am shocked and appalled our Tory MP in Woking voted against the world’s poorest, and broke a promise to their constituents as they did so.  The Government’s cuts to foreign aid will do great harm to those who rely on our support.

The UK has a reputation as a country that does its bit to help others, but that reputation is now in jeopardy as we turn our back on the world’s poorest and most vulnerable.  These cuts are short-sighted and wrong – from tackling climate change and terrorism to preventing future pandemics, the damage of these cuts will be felt here in the UK and across the world.

At the last General Election, both Jonathan Lord and I stood on manifesto promises to support the UK’s commitment to the world’s poorest, and I am proud that my Lib Dem colleagues in Parliament stood by that promise.  I know many Woking residents will now rightly question whether the Conservatives can be trusted to do as they say.