In Conversation with the Rt Hon David Lammy MP

The Coalition for Global Prosperity held an “In Conversation” event with Shadow Foreign Secretary The Rt Hon David Lammy MP at Labour Party Conference in Liverpool. The event was supported by Labour Foreign Policy Group and the Labour Campaign for International Development. The discussion was chaired by the Coalition for Global Prosperity’s Director of Advocacy, Libby Smith.

Aid cuts 

Lammy said that given malaria, TB and HIV are still rampant across the world, cutting aid funding to 0.5% is the wrong thing to do.  “Our reputation is in shreds all over the world”, he stated. He also said that funding for refugee support should not be coming from the aid budget – slashing development funds by over £3 billion – but rather from the Home Office.

Labour’s new development model

Commenting on Labour’s structural approach to international development, Lammy said that "DfID was the right arrangement in 1997, [but] we must find a new arrangement to fit the world in 2022". The world is a vastly different place, Lammy stressed: China’s influence in the Global South has overtaken support offered by the IMF, the world is gripped by a global food shortage, and there is a long road to pandemic recovery.

Given the Conservatives’ decision to disband DfID, Labour’s commitment is not to “bring DfID back”, but rather, to a “new model” that fits the 21st century and allows for innovation, Lammy said. He went on to explain that the key is to respond and react to the world’s current challenges, and above all, be ambitious when configuring the UK’s future development plans.

Lammy stated, however, that the “biggest emergency” is climate. He said that Labour want to make the Climate Emergency the 4th pillar of the United Nations Charter, and use Britain’s influence on the UN Security Council to prioritise effective climate action.

He also spoke about the global disparity in vaccine access and production. Lammy underscored that Labour’s new model would also address the question of why, with Britain’s world-leading scientific capability and innovation, Africa has not already developed its own vaccine manufacturing capacity. Later on in the discussion, Lammy asserted that Labour’s approach to international development would also mean “no infantilising whole continents”.

Afghanistan

Lammy spoke about his recent visit to Afghanistan with Preet Gill MP, significantly marking the return of G7 politicians to the country. Lammy emphasised the devastating consequences of the Taliban’s takeover, including those women and girls who are now no longer able to access education. "It is heart-wrenching to see people who helped our country stuck and hiding for their lives”, he said.

Speaking to Afghans on the ground, Lammy reflected, “there was a sense that the international community has walked away”.

Multilateralism

Upon being asked what his first week on the job would look like were Labour to win an election, Lammy said that it would mean a “values-based” approach to foreign policy, working hand-in-hand with key allies, and a concerted effort to tackle dirty money that is currently being “washed through London”. 

He clearly reiterated Labour’s disagreement with Truss’s bilateralism. Asked by one audience member if Labour would contribute more to the World Bank’s Pandemic Fund and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) to prepare for future pandemics, Lammy said that Labour would commit to multilateralism, which means “you get more bang for your buck”.

Overall, he said that there would be a real sense that Britain “is back at the table”. 

Ukraine

Lammy strongly reiterated that there would be “no change” in regard to Ukraine. “It has not been a partisan issue, and we’ve not sought to make it a partisan issue”, he said. Lammy underlined his support for the Ukrainian people, declaring that "[Labour] stand firmly with the people of Ukraine fighting Putin's aggression".

He also highlighted the global decline in strong democracies. “There are now fewer democracies in the world than there were 10 or 15 years ago”, he said. The international community has rightly condemned Putin’s hostile presence in Ukraine and his recent threats of nuclear action. He labelled Putin’s actions as a “new imperialism”, and affirmed that Labour will “challenge impunity”.