Starmer’s Foreign Aid Betrayal, Islamophobia & Australia’s Far Right (Question Time)

Alastair Campbell· Host0:00

Thanks for listening to The Rest Is Politics. To support the podcast, listen without the adverts, and get early access to episodes and live show tickets, go to therestispolitics.com. That's therestispolitics.com. [upbeat music] Welcome to The Rest Is Politics question time with me, Alastair Campbell.

Rory Stewart· Host0:22

And with me, Rory Stewart.

Alastair Campbell· Host0:24

Now, Rory, I think we may agree on this one. Lucy is a Trip+ member from Warrington. Love the Warrington Wolves. What did you make of the government's announcement last week that it is cutting the development budget from naught point five percent to naught point three percent? "Surely," says Lucy, "at a time of increasing war, worsening global security, we should not give up on tackling both the root causes and consequences of these conflicts."

Rory Stewart· Host0:46

Yeah, I, I think it's completely shocking. I don't think people have concentrated on this. So firstly, the Labour government, when the Tories decided to cut international development, attacked them repeatedly in the House of Commons, and Keir Starmer made these great value speeches about how the Tories need to understand that international development is national security, and there's no trade-off between the two.

Alastair Campbell· Host1:06

He said that when he did the podcast in opposition.

Rory Stewart· Host1:08

Ab-absolutely. And everyone was very cheered up when he said the podcast in opposition that he was gonna hold to the point seven percent commitment, and they were all very much signed up. So, "As soon as fiscal conditions allow, we'll come in." Then they came in, and they said they were gonna increase spending on various things but in fact not on international development. And the fact is that what Keir Starmer's government has done with international development spending is worse