Sacred Cows

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The Prime Minister , The Announcement of The Merger between The Foreign office and The Department for International development came in two parts.

The opening statement to MPs, the bit that had been written and under the supervision of officials, had a clear argument.

It was all about The Merger of politics, ending the false distinctions between diplomacy and development, the creation of a division, the mobilization of all UK assets overseas.

Boris Johnson , But was changed once more in front of hostile questions from skeptical members of his sound and his instinctive arguments came to light.

for too long, He Said , the UK budget had shown, such as an ATM, in the sky, detached from the British diplomatic and commercial priorities.

voters will want to see that the government is spending Aid efficiently.

This is an opportunity, as He Said , for the United Kingdom, to spend more value from the huge investments that it makes in overseas.

This is the voltage change at the core of this policy. How much is it about the British is, making external policy more effective and coherent? And how much it will be to the satisfaction of those Tories who believe that a lot of foreign Aid is wasteful and should be bent, more on The Will of the British interests?

For Mr. Johnson, this is a business that is long overdue.

As foreign Minister, he looked avariciously at DFID's £15bn budget. He saw, as DFID officials who had The Power was, in many embassies around The World . And he learned from the tensions between the two departments that had at times other priorities.

As Prime Minister , he came to see, the diffuse nature of British foreign policy, not to mention scattered between the FCO, DFID, the National Security Council and Downing Street, to the departments for trade and the economy. So, this brings everything together made sense for him.

And he knew it would be controversial, although he could not imagine, that not less than three former Ministers would weigh the President in against him, even from his own party.

Charities " the fears of the

International Aid organizations have long feared, this merger could happen. Do you think it may mean that the UK watered down the commitment with its powerful budget, to reduce poverty.

And the Prime Minister made this clear in The Commons . Yes, reducing poverty, He Said , continues to be Central to The Mission of this new Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

he also suggested, less money would go to Zambia or Tanzania, and more, to the Ukraine and the Western Balkans , where it is more vital to European security interests.

Yes, He Said , the United Kingdom, remain committed to The Target of spending 0. 7% of their income for development assistance. But his officials also made it clear that the current integrated assessment of British foreign policy looks to define what really counts as help.

some Conservative, to protect the Aid sector, its Sacred Cows , not even ready to think differently about the help, to accept that sometimes the UK can be a national interest and the reduction of poverty, the same thing.

But to the pessimists, who fear that the UK is now start to spend money more help on the management of migration, to improve the security and increase of the British trade interests.

The question is the timing. Labour accused Mr Johnson of playing politics, of The Announcement today, to distract from his health, and economic crises.

government officials insist that the watch just wanted to get the new Department up and running this fall, so that it is well placed to handle the British presidency of the G7 next year.

force, But confesses in the midst of a global pandemic, the Mr Johnson's change in The Way the UK has its foreign policy, some are wondering whether this is The Right time for the Whitehall officials in the movement, the chairs and the change of the nameplates.

The former British Ambassador in Cairo and for a time foreign policy adviser to David Cameron , John Casson, said The Hope is that the Fusion is The Best mix of the FCO, the political agility with The Best of the DFID-delivery skills. His fear is that the new Department include the worst of the FCO brief thinking with DFID, the bureaucratic caution.

However, Boris Johnson has made his choice.

He has decided how he wants to deliver retooling of his government, his global UK foreign policy.

The only problem is, he's still at it, what should be the policy. The "integrated assessment" of the UK's overseas strategy is not due to report until the autumn.

It is not the First Time that a car was driven before a horse through The Streets of Whitehall .

boris johnson, foreign & commonwealth office, department for international development

Source of news: bbc.com