Mary Creagh MP: Britain is failing some of the world's poorest

Shadow Secretary of State for International Development, Mary Creagh MP, writes about the opposition day motion being debated in parliament today. Under David Cameron the Department for International Development’s role tackling global poverty has withered, and climate change has become an afterthought. Development is in the Labour Party’s DNA. Fifteen years ago, a Labour government led global efforts to tackle extreme poverty, which led to the Millennium Development Goals. They have driven enormous progress: 17 thousand fewer children die every day and nine out of ten children in developing regions attend primary school. And when Ed Miliband was Secretary of State for energy, the UK became the first country in the world to put into a law a target to reduce carbon emissions. The Tories and Lib Dems have relinquished that leading role. The Government failed to bring forward legislation to commit to spending 0.7% of Gross National income on aid. Labour MPs had to get it through the House of Commons. Ministers have allocated £1.8 billion for private sector development yet their own aid watchdog can’t find out where and how it is being spent. The NAO concluded that one DFID funded programme had inadequate financial control and oversight, lacks robust information and was unable to prove value for taxpayers money. If the Tories and Lib Dems don’t know where it is going then how can they measure if it is working? People in rich countries and poor countries alike are affected by disease outbreaks. Strong health systems build resilience. But have seen Ebola in West Africa overwhelm weak health systems. As the party of the NHS we want others to enjoy the protections that we take for granted. Yet figures show Ministers cut spending on health in Sierra Leone and Liberia from 26 million pounds in 2010 to 16 million this year the International Development Committee criticised DFID saying: “The planned termination of further UK funding to the Liberian health sector is especially unwise.” Labour would put health at the heart of our approach to development. The Government has also failed to show leadership on climate change. The progress of the last 15 years in tackling poverty, improving health, food security and access to sanitation will be eroded if global temperatures are allowed to soar. But David Cameron says very little about his wind turbine these days. His government has refused to support the inclusion of climate change as a standalone goal in the Sustainable Development Goals. On climate change David Cameron is a prisoner of his divided party, split over whether climate change even exists. 2015 is an historic year. The countries of the world will come together to agree two plans, the first to eradicate poverty over the next fifteen years, and the second will tackle climate change. This Government is failing some of the world’s poorest people. Britain needs to step up and lead the way, instead of taking a back seat. A Labour Government will return Britain to its place as a global leader on international development and climate change. With the right leadership, ours is the generation that can wipe out extreme poverty, reduce inequality and tackle climate change.We must ensure that opportunity is not missed.