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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Rowena Mason Whitehall editor

Foreign Office merger has diminished UK’s aid capability, finds watchdog

The Foreign & Commonwealth Office and the Department for International Development were merged in 2020.
The Foreign & Commonwealth Office and the Department for International Development were merged in 2020. Photograph: Chris J Ratcliffe/Getty Images

Britain’s capability and expertise on foreign aid has been diminished since international development was merged into the Foreign Office, the UK’s public spending watchdog has found.

The National Audit Office, which reports to parliament on public spending, said the transfer of the department to the Foreign Office, overseen by Boris Johnson, had caused a loss of dedicated senior roles in development.

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