Boris Johnson today dismissed calls from Tory backbenchers including Theresa May for the government to meet its own promises on international aid as “lefty propaganda”.

Challenged in the House of Commons over the decision to slash aid spending from 0.7 to 0.5 per cent of GDP, Mr Johnson made clear he will defy Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle’s demand for MPs to be given a binding vote on the issue.

But he suggested that the question had been settled by voters at the 2019 general election – when the Conservative manifesto promised to stick by the 0.7 per cent target enshrined in law by David Cameron.

Mr Johnson suffered a humiliating assault on his record on aid just days before hosting world leaders at the G7 summit in Cornwall, when Ms May joined a string of senior Tories on Tuesday to demand a reverse in the £4bn cut, which the former PM told parliament would have a “devastating” impact on the world’s poorest and damage Britain’s interests.

He dodged almost certain defeat after a vote was ruled out on technical grounds, but in a stern rebuke Sir Lindsay insisted he must show the House of Commons “due respect” by giving MPs a chance to pass judgement on the cut.