Rob Merrick
@robmerrick.bsky.social
Political journalist & media consultant. Long-time @LobbyXI football team veteran skipper. Welshman.
“Your job is to decide which tens of thousands of people will die because of my shameful aid cuts”
The reality of the PM’s brief for the new international development minister
Who fancies it ?
The reality of the PM’s brief for the new international development minister
Who fancies it ?
February 28, 2025 at 2:06 PM
“Your job is to decide which tens of thousands of people will die because of my shameful aid cuts”
The reality of the PM’s brief for the new international development minister
Who fancies it ?
The reality of the PM’s brief for the new international development minister
Who fancies it ?
Wow!! UK to slash aid spending to 0.3% of GNI from 2027
Announced by a Labour government - the party that calls itself the party of international development
Announced by a Labour government - the party that calls itself the party of international development
February 25, 2025 at 12:58 PM
Wow!! UK to slash aid spending to 0.3% of GNI from 2027
Announced by a Labour government - the party that calls itself the party of international development
Announced by a Labour government - the party that calls itself the party of international development
David Lammy also refuses to guarantee that the aid budget will not be cut....
Development minister Anneliese Dodds declines to answer a question about whether the UK is considering cutting its aid budget below 0.5% of GNI - to fund higher defence spending.....
February 25, 2025 at 12:29 PM
David Lammy also refuses to guarantee that the aid budget will not be cut....
"I believe we should move from freezing assets to seizing assets"
David Lammy gives UK backing to using Russia's billions in EU banks to boost Ukraine's war effort - following the US abandoning Kyiv
David Lammy gives UK backing to using Russia's billions in EU banks to boost Ukraine's war effort - following the US abandoning Kyiv
February 25, 2025 at 12:24 PM
"I believe we should move from freezing assets to seizing assets"
David Lammy gives UK backing to using Russia's billions in EU banks to boost Ukraine's war effort - following the US abandoning Kyiv
David Lammy gives UK backing to using Russia's billions in EU banks to boost Ukraine's war effort - following the US abandoning Kyiv
Development minister Anneliese Dodds declines to answer a question about whether the UK is considering cutting its aid budget below 0.5% of GNI - to fund higher defence spending.....
February 25, 2025 at 11:47 AM
Development minister Anneliese Dodds declines to answer a question about whether the UK is considering cutting its aid budget below 0.5% of GNI - to fund higher defence spending.....
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch calls opponents of new oil & gas fields (which experts agree is vital to tackle the climate emergency)......."eco-nutters"
Yes really
Yes really
February 5, 2025 at 12:08 PM
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch calls opponents of new oil & gas fields (which experts agree is vital to tackle the climate emergency)......."eco-nutters"
Yes really
Yes really
UK development minister Anneliese Dodds declines to criticise Trump's total shutdown of US aid.....
“He was elected by the US population with millions of votes - it’s ultimately a US policy decision” she tells MPs
“He was elected by the US population with millions of votes - it’s ultimately a US policy decision” she tells MPs
February 4, 2025 at 4:07 PM
UK development minister Anneliese Dodds declines to criticise Trump's total shutdown of US aid.....
“He was elected by the US population with millions of votes - it’s ultimately a US policy decision” she tells MPs
“He was elected by the US population with millions of votes - it’s ultimately a US policy decision” she tells MPs
Another eg of Labour sticking to the previous government's approach - shifting funding from work to prevent or reduce conflict to 'national security' concerns
Which means a 33% cut next year - despite ever more conflict across the globe.....
www.devex.com/news/scoop-n...
Which means a 33% cut next year - despite ever more conflict across the globe.....
www.devex.com/news/scoop-n...
Scoop: NGOs told cuts are coming as UK slashes conflict funding
Spending on peacebuilding in fragile states is set to plunge by £117 million under a new focus on “national security,” including maritime power, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence.
www.devex.com
January 28, 2025 at 4:12 PM
Another eg of Labour sticking to the previous government's approach - shifting funding from work to prevent or reduce conflict to 'national security' concerns
Which means a 33% cut next year - despite ever more conflict across the globe.....
www.devex.com/news/scoop-n...
Which means a 33% cut next year - despite ever more conflict across the globe.....
www.devex.com/news/scoop-n...
The lies spread by far right politicians and extremists to provoke August's racist riots worked
That's the depressing conclusion
That's the depressing conclusion
21-24% of Britons falsely believe that Axel Rudakubana is a Muslim, an immigrant to the UK, and was motivated by religious terrorism – and this figure has grown since the summer
yougov.co.uk/politics/art...
yougov.co.uk/politics/art...
January 24, 2025 at 11:58 AM
The lies spread by far right politicians and extremists to provoke August's racist riots worked
That's the depressing conclusion
That's the depressing conclusion
UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy has set up a 'Soft Power Council' - calling soft power "fundamental to the UK’s impact and reputation around the world"
Meanwhile....
www.devex.com/news/british...
Meanwhile....
www.devex.com/news/british...
British Council could go bust, boss of peace-building veteran warns
The 90-year-old development and anti-disinformation institution contemplates its pull-out from 40 countries — and worse — because of an unrepayable COVID-19 loan.
www.devex.com
January 24, 2025 at 11:30 AM
UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy has set up a 'Soft Power Council' - calling soft power "fundamental to the UK’s impact and reputation around the world"
Meanwhile....
www.devex.com/news/british...
Meanwhile....
www.devex.com/news/british...
Wealthy nations send development aid to poorer ones right?
Not quite - $1 in every $7 of rich countries' 'international aid' is spent within their own borders. The OECD urged them to think again. This is what happened next.....
www.devex.com/news/oecd-na...
Not quite - $1 in every $7 of rich countries' 'international aid' is spent within their own borders. The OECD urged them to think again. This is what happened next.....
www.devex.com/news/oecd-na...
OECD nations ignore call to curb raiding of aid budgets for refugees
Rich donors were urged to “act on the side of caution” before spending aid cash at home — but 14.6% of ODA did not leave their borders in 2023.
www.devex.com
January 21, 2025 at 11:13 AM
Wealthy nations send development aid to poorer ones right?
Not quite - $1 in every $7 of rich countries' 'international aid' is spent within their own borders. The OECD urged them to think again. This is what happened next.....
www.devex.com/news/oecd-na...
Not quite - $1 in every $7 of rich countries' 'international aid' is spent within their own borders. The OECD urged them to think again. This is what happened next.....
www.devex.com/news/oecd-na...
This is a big moment - the Conservative leader confessing her party had no plan for Brexit.....hence the disaster that followed
Of course, 9 years later - still no-one has a plan
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Of course, 9 years later - still no-one has a plan
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Badenoch criticises Tory handling of Brexit
In her first major speech of 2025, Badenoch acknowledges the Conservatives
www.bbc.co.uk
January 16, 2025 at 10:20 AM
This is a big moment - the Conservative leader confessing her party had no plan for Brexit.....hence the disaster that followed
Of course, 9 years later - still no-one has a plan
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Of course, 9 years later - still no-one has a plan
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
“The captain of the Titanic has slammed rowers in two paddle boats that bumped in Hyde Park lake” 🙄
WATCH: Liz Truss accuses Labour of 'smearing' her and plunging Britain into 'economic crisis'
Former Prime Minister Liz Truss has launched a scathing attack on Labour Chancellor Rachel Reeves, accusing her of pushing Britain "to the brink of economic crisis".In a new video statement, Truss bla...
www.gbnews.com
January 9, 2025 at 5:44 PM
“The captain of the Titanic has slammed rowers in two paddle boats that bumped in Hyde Park lake” 🙄
Think the staffing chaos triggered by the axing of the UK's international aid department is over?
Think again.....
www.devex.com/news/5-years...
Think again.....
www.devex.com/news/5-years...
5 years after UK aid merger, 60% of development adviser jobs are empty
FCDO admits it is still failing to replace expertise lost when DFID was axed in 2020 — with 60% of adviser roles left vacant last year.
www.devex.com
January 8, 2025 at 3:04 PM
Think the staffing chaos triggered by the axing of the UK's international aid department is over?
Think again.....
www.devex.com/news/5-years...
Think again.....
www.devex.com/news/5-years...