THE BORIS BRIGADE
As PM loyalists and Brexiteers are promoted, aid budget may finally be set for a shake-up
A strident critic of foreign aid was made international development secretary last night as ultra-loyalists and Brexiteers were promoted by Boris Johnson.
Anne-Marie trevelyan, the former minister for the Armed Forces, was given her first Cabinet job in charge of Britain’s £14billion aid budget.
she has in the past been highly sceptical of the value of British aid, once tweeting: ‘Charity begins at home.’ Her attitude could herald a big shake-up of the under-fire department.
Meanwhile, three Johnson allies who wrote an article backing his leadership bid all ended up in the Cabinet.
the article in the times – headlined ‘Only Boris Johnson can save us’ – was written by rishi sunak, robert Jenrick and Oliver dowden. Mr sunak was promoted to Chancellor and Mr Jenrick kept his high-profile job as Housing secretary. And Mr dowden was given his first Cabinetlevel job as Culture secretary.
High-profile Brexiteer suella Braverman was promoted to Attorney General, replacing Geoffrey Cox. And in a surprise move, former deputy chief whip Amanda Milling was appointed chairman of the Conservative Party, replacing James Cleverly. she was another strong supporter of Mr Johnson’s leadership bid.
Alok sharma replaced Andrea Leadsom as Business secretary.
the Cabinet shake-up therefore ensured key supporters of Mr Johnson and of his Brexit project were in the ascendency.
Mrs trevelyan, an ardent Brexiteer, takes up her role as international development secretary just five years after being elected as an MP.
Aid groups welcomed the fact that her appointment meant that her ministry had not been incorporated into the Foreign Office. But there will be concern over some of her past tweets.
replying to an aid department tweet in 2012 saying that no one in Africa should go hungry, she replied: ‘nor in the UK. there are kids in the north east [of england] who have no regular meals due to chaotic parents. should they go hungry?’
A year later she retweeted an article by former tory treasurer Lord Ashcroft, saying: ‘interesting article … on the value (or otherwise) of the overseas aid budget.’ she added the hashtag ‘charity begins at home’.
And she retweeted an article in 2017 with the words: ‘Waste of cash on vanity projects in farflung lands kept me awake at night, says tory foreign aid chief Priti Patel.’
nevertheless, Christian Aid welcomed Mrs trevelyan’s appointment, saying it hoped she would be ‘a powerful advocate for its continued poverty focus, and for its independence’.
the charity’s Patrick Watt said: ‘We hope that today’s announcement signals a clear commitment to keeping dfid as an independent department.’
Mike noyes of ActionAid UK, said: ‘Whilst we’re pleased that dfid remains independent, it’s important that the new minister is given enough time to make a real difference.’
Mrs trevelyan, 50, had previously been a chartered accountant before being elected MP for Berwick-upon-tweed in northumberland in 2015.
Her background in finance saw her sit on the House of Commons public accounts committee from July 2015 to May 2017, and december 2018 to July 2019.
she was later made minister for defence procurement in July 27 2019, before becoming minister of state for the Armed Forces in december last year.
the Conservative MP voted Leave in the EU referendum, claiming in 2016 that the ‘safest option’ for Britain was to exit the union. At the time she said: ‘We can take back control of our future if we vote to leave the EU.
‘A future beyond the limitations of the EU’s political systems holds so much promise for a strong nation such as ours.’
in 2018 she announced her resignation as parliamentary private secretary in the department for education over the then government’s draft withdrawal agreement with the EU.
Last night she said she was committed to the controversial target to spend 0.7 per cent of national income on overseas aid. But she made clear she wanted to ensure her department delivers value for money as well as promoting UK interests abroad.
‘i know from my previous role as Armed Forces minister how UK aid, alongside our world class defence and diplomacy, supports peace and prosperity around the world,’ she said.