Devex: A fitful start for Priti Patel’s DfID
“Priti Patel, the new head of the U.K. Department for International Development, rose to prominence as a vocal champion for Brexit. But she isn’t sounding the call to break with European Union aid institutions just yet. In her first parliamentary hearing as the new head of DfID, Patel addressed questions and concerns about what she plans to do with DfID’s 12 billion pound ($15.9 billion) aid budget, and what kind of relationship Britain will have with European Union development institutions as the country negotiates its exit from the E.U…” (Anders, 9/14).

The Guardian: U.K. NGOs raise concerns about Priti Patel’s new approach to foreign aid
“Concerns that British aid funding will be diverted away from supporting the world’s poorest people towards facilitating trade have been raised by NGOs. … [Aaron Oxley, executive director of campaign group Results U.K.,] added that proof of Patel’s commitment to development will become apparent later this week as a conference to announce the replenishment of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria is happening in Montreal. ‘The U.K. has historically been a big donor to the Global Fund precisely because it gets results and is constantly working to improve its impact,’ he said. ‘We look forward to seeing a strong pledge from the U.K. that will directly contribute to saving millions of lives and help end these epidemics for good.’ France has pledged $1.08bn (£0.82bn), but the U.K. is yet to donate…” (Leach/Purvis, 9/14).