This House of Lords Library Briefing has been prepared in advance of the debate due to take place on 30 January 2020 on the motion moved by Lord McConnell of Glenscorrodale (Labour) that “this House takes note of the role played by defence, diplomacy and development policy in building a safer, fairer and cleaner world”.
Defence, Diplomacy, and Development: Building a Safer, Fairer and Cleaner World (331 KB , PDF)
In the December 2019 Queen’s Speech, the Government announced an “integrated security, defence and foreign policy review […] covering all aspects of international policy from defence to diplomacy and development”. The Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, stated that it would be “the most radical reassessment of our place in the world since the end of the Cold War”. The review will take place in 2020. The new Government has made other announcements on various aspects of international policy, such as girls’ education and tackling human rights abuses. Commentators have described the changing world order that forms a backdrop to these initiatives: for example, in the ‘America First’ stance of the US, the rising power of China, the influence of Russia and the impact of climate change.
Prior to completion of the integrated review, these areas are covered by a number of policy documents, including the national security strategy. These have increasingly emphasised the linkages between the various aspects of policy: for example, between peace and poverty reduction in the developing world, or between security, overseas aid and climate change.
Governmental structures reflect these linkages. The conflict, security and stability fund is cross-departmental, while the stabilisation unit also includes military, police and civilian representation. The Ministry of Defence (MOD), Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and Department for International Development (DFID) all have objectives to enhance the UK’s global influence using a range of tools. The new Government has not announced any changes to departmental responsibilities, but speculation continues about whether DFID might be made part of the FCO after Brexit.
Various parliamentary committees have produced relevant reports. The House of Lords International Relations Committee recommended investing more in the UK’s “global diplomatic presence and supporting resources”. The House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee called for a more “coherent strategic direction for UK foreign policy”. The House of Commons International Development Committee said that all UK overseas aid should be consistent with both poverty reduction and tackling climate change.
Defence, Diplomacy, and Development: Building a Safer, Fairer and Cleaner World (331 KB , PDF)
This briefing is the fifth of a series on the post-war history of the UK economy. The series proceeds decade-by-decade from the 1950s onwards, providing an overview of the key macroeconomic developments of each decade. This fifth briefing looks at the 1990s. In this decade the UK economy settled into a period of low inflation and steady growth; however, living standards growth was lower and more regionally concentrated than in previous decades.
The Labour government has set out its short- and long-term plans to reduce the pressure on prison capacity in England and Wales. This includes releasing eligible prisoners on licence into the community after they have served 40% of their sentence and building more prisons. Organisations have highlighted the risk of prison overcrowding on prisoner wellbeing. Some charities have called for better mental health support for prisoners whilst in custody and on release.
While international attention has largely been focused on the Middle East and Ukraine, the civil war in Sudan continues. The UN has characterised the conflict as the “world’s largest hunger crisis”. As peace negotiations stall, concerns are rising not only for the people of Sudan but also about the conflict spreading to neighbouring states.
