‘Sweat the asset’: new development minister plots path to make UK aid count

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‘I’m a huge believer in the quality of British aid, and when you have more of it, you can have more impact,’ said McNeill. Photograph: Linda Nylind/The Guardian View image in fullscreen ‘I’m a huge believer in the quality of British aid, and when you have more of it, you can have more impact,’ said McNeill. Photograph: Linda Nylind/The Guardian Foreign policy ‘Sweat the asset’: new development minister plots path to make UK aid count Kirsty McNeill reaffirms Labour’s 0.7% of GDP pledge and promises value for money to allay voter concerns

About this content Heather Stewart Economics editor Sun 13 Sep 2026 22.30 BST Share Prefer the Guardian on Google The development minister, Kirsty McNeill, has declared herself “a huge believer in aid”, as she reaffirmed Labour’s manifesto pledge to return to a target of 0.7% of national income spending.

McNeill, a former adviser to Gordon Brown and senior executive at Save the Children, declined to give any timetable, repeating the formula that the government would work towards the target “when fiscal circumstances allow”.

But she made a full-throated argument for the benefits of aid – as well as promising to build new “agile partnerships” to work on development challenges.

“I’m a huge believer in aid; I’m a huge believer in the quality of British aid, and when you have more of it, you can have more impact. And I think it’s important that colleagues hear that underscored,” she said.