The new international development minister has said the UK has lost its reputation as a "development superpower".
Andrew Mitchell said cuts to the aid budget mean the country is "unable to fulfill the commitments" it has made to help nations in need.
The Tories promised in their election manifesto to spend 0.7% of national income on overseas development, but Rishi Sunak slashed this to 0.5% as chancellor. It means billions have been cut from the aid budget.
At a hearing of the Commons international development committee today, Labour chair Sarah Champion raised concerns that cuts are “disproportionately” hitting “women and girls, people with disabilities and minority groups”.
But Mr Mitchell insisted: “At a time of very great stress on our ability to do things, when we’re trying to get as much as we possibly can out of this pint pot, we are going to protect, insofar as we can, a humanitarian spend and a spend on girls and women.”
As a backbencher, the Tory minister was a vocal critic of the decision to reduce the aid budget. At the committee yesterday, he said: “I very much hope it will go back up to 0.7”, adding that if double this was spent, it would still be “really good value for taxpayers’ money”.
He went on: "When Tony Blair and Gordon Brown were in government, we spent 0.51% on international development and we were without question a development superpower.
"I would argue that in 2012 when David Cameron was our prime minister, we were also spending 0.51% and in my view, we were without question a development superpower.
"Today we are actually spending 0.55 and, you know, let's not beat about the bush, we are not a development superpower at the moment and that is something that is bemoaned around the world."
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced in last month's autumn statement that the overseas aid budget will not be returned to its goal of 0.7% of national income "until the fiscal system allows".
