The thinking behind the Foreign Office DfID takeover

When Boris Johnson was Foreign Secretary he was constantly irritated by how small the department’s budget was, and how the Department for International Development had so much more money than the Foreign Office. After the 2017 election, he used Theresa May’s weakened position to get some joint Foreign Office-DfID ministers appointed. But even this didn’t fully address his concerns. 

So, it was always likely that as Prime Minister he would want to bring DfID fully into the Foreign Office, all the DfID junior ministers are already double hatting.

I suspect that the aid charities will not like this move at all. But bringing DfiD into the Foreign Office will make the 0.7 per cent aid target more politically sustainable. It’ll now have the protection of one of the great offices of state and the strategic purpose of the money will be clearer.

The aid budget is being increasingly used to bolster the government’s green agenda, helping with both conversation and climate change.