Boris Johnson has dodged a the immediate threat of a House of Commons defeat on international aid cuts after Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle rejected calls for a vote in parliament on Monday evening.
But the Speaker said he expected the government to allow MPs to have an “effective” vote on the cut from 0.7 to 0.5 per cent of GDP at a later date – warning that he was ready to clear the way for an emergency debate as early as tomorrow.
Leader of the Tory rebels Andrew Mitchell told the Commons that Mr Johnson would have lost a vote tonight by between nine and 20 votes.
The former international development secretary accused the government frontbench of “riding roughshod over parliament” and treating the Commons with “disrespect”.
“In the week of the British chairmanship of the G7, the government’s failure to address this issue will indisputably mean that hundreds of thousands of avoidable deaths will result,” said Mr Mitchell. “It is already attracting criticism from all round the other members of the G7.”
Around 30 Tory MPs – including former prime minister Theresa May and ex-members of cabinet David Davis, Jeremy Hunt and Damian Green – signed an amendment which would require any shortfall in overseas aid funding to be covered by money from the budget of the government’s proposed Advanced Research and Invention Agency.
But Sir Lindsay said that Commons clerks advised him that such a measure would be outside the scope of the bill establishing the new agency.
However, the Speaker added that a law passed in 2015 made it the government’s duty to ensure that the 0.7 per cent is hit.
“Up until now, however, the House has not had an opportunity for a decisive vote on maintaining the UK’s commitment to this target of 0.7 per cent.
“I expect that the government should find a way to have this important matter debated and to allow the House formally to take an effective decision,” he said.
“I should say that, on an exceptional basis, I will consider whether to hear any Standing Order Number 24 applications at 5.30pm today, for a debate to be held tomorrow.”
The Speaker added: ”I share the House’s frustration. It is quite right that this House continue to be taken for granted. But we must do it in the right way.
“I believe the government needs to respect and needs to come forward. Not only this House, but the country needs this to be debated and aired and an effective decision taken.”
Sir Lindsay said he hoped the government would “take up the challenge and give this House the due respect that it deserves”.
“We are the elected members,” he said. “This House should be taken seriously and the government should be accountable.
“So I wish and hope, very quickly, that this is taken on board. I don’t want this to drag on. If not, we will then move to find other ways in which we can move forwards.”
