Tories dodge vote on foreign aid - another broken promise. Liberal Democrats, who crafted the Act to set a legal target say "the mask is slipping to reveal callousness"

The Government will not give MPs a vote before cutting the aid budget. Liberal Democrat Foreign Affairs spokesperson Layla Moran MP criticised this decision on procedural grounds, saying :

"By avoiding a vote after promising one the Conservatives have confirmed what we already knew: they don't need legislation to make a temporary cut.

"The Liberal Democrats, who crafted the Act enshrining the target into law, are assured that temporarily not meeting the target is permitted by the law as long as you make a statement once a year. There are no sanctions. The real question is why bring legislation at all. And it would be for only one reason: to make the cut permanent.

"The mask has slipped and we're now seeing the callous Tories for who they really are. Their short-sighted decision to break their promise to the British people and the world's poorest makes a mockery of their global ambitions and our reputation on the world stage. The Liberal Democrats will stand up for our international aid spending commitments and work cross-party to stop the UK shirking its responsibilities."