Rejected petition Stop the DFID-FCO merger.

Rejected on 21 July 2020

Retain the Department for International Development as an independent body accountable for improving the lives of the world's most vulnerable communities, not for promoting British economic and political interests.

The merger will worsen life-saving services by making the aid budget subject to the political interests of the Foreign Secretary, meaning key decisions will be in the hands of those with no expertise in global health and poverty. The economic interests of one of the world's richest countries should not come above the lives of those in the world's poorest. DFID performs better in independent reviews of transparency and aid impact than the FCO, and the merger risks more lives lost.

Why was this petition rejected?

There’s already a petition about this issue. We cannot accept a new petition when we already have one about a very similar issue.

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You may wish to sign this petition calling for the same action: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/327602

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