13:30 Mr Virendra Sharma (Ealing, Southall) (Lab)

In the last few days there have been concerning reports in The Daily Telegraph and Devex that the Foreign Secretary is planning to make substantial cuts to health, humanitarian aid and climate change ODA spending. I share the sentiments of the Chair of the International Development Committee, who called this potential move “illogical”. Does the Minister agree that if the UK is to remain a respected leader and a reliable partner in the global health community, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and the Foreign Secretary must not reduce their ODA health spending?

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14:06 Ms Lyn Brown (West Ham) (Lab)

I know that the Government will say that they are focusing on women and girls, and that that justifies any cuts. Labour proposes a feminist approach to international development; we see efforts towards gender equality worldwide as a massive priority. Half a million women die of TB every year. Waits for diagnosis and treatment are generally longer for women than men, and TB is a massive risk during pregnancy. The Minister must recognise that global health funding protects women and girls and advances gender equality. So does action against the climate emergency, as the Minister knows, because she was at a meeting in New York about that issue just last week. Will a comprehensive equalities impact assessment be published, so that all hon. Members can see some analysis—as well as the Government’s own PR—about these cuts?

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