International development minister warns colleagues jostling for position not to be ‘self-indulgent’
Andrew Mitchell, a minister of state in the Foreign Office and MP for Sutton Coldfield, in Manchester during the Conservative party’s annual conference.Andrew Mitchell, a minister of state in the Foreign Office and MP for Sutton Coldfield, in Manchester during the Conservative party’s annual conference.
“You get on with preparing to win that battle. I don’t think that the Tory party in the country or in parliament would tolerate that sort of self-indulgence at a time we need for our country and our party to win the next election.” He suggested that after 13 years in power the Tories may have forgotten what it feels like to be in opposition. “Maybe, but I don’t think we should allow ourselves to be reminded,” he said.
“We need to be very clear that we have very properly protected throughout the last 13 years the most vulnerable by maintaining and in some cases increasing the value of their benefits. That’s the right thing for any government to do in any civilised society.” Safe legal routes to the UK – which Sunak has said will follow once small boats crossings are under control – more staff to process asylum claims, and improving what had been an “appalling” relationship with the French were also all important.
Instead, he said he was working with the Treasury to get better value for money on development spending and raising funds through other mechanisms to fund projects, including an imminent announcement about a new malaria vaccine developed in the UK.
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