Douglas Ross branded “morally indefensible” over aid cuts
Scottish Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie MSP has branded Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross morally indefensible after the Moray MP and his entire group fell in line with Boris Johnson and voted to scrap billions from the international aid budget.
All Scottish Tory MPs, including Mr Ross, voted to slash aid expenditure to the world’s poorest, despite standing on a manifesto to protect the spending less than two years ago.
Former Conservative Prime Minister Theresa May said that as a result of these cuts, "Fewer girls will be educated, more girls and boys will become slaves, more children will go hungry, and more of poorest people in world will die.”
Patrick Harvie said:
“Douglas Ross's actions are morally indefensible. This is someone who says he wants to give leadership to the country, but when push comes to shove he pitifully fell in line with Boris Johnson to vote for these vicious cuts as did his sad little band of Scottish Tory MPs.
“These Tory cuts to international aid will be devastating. But instead of taking a stand Mr Ross filed into the lobby behind The Prime Minister and joined him in attacking the most vulnerable people in the world, at a time when they are most in need of support.
“The UK is one of the world’s wealthiest countries. It should be supporting those most in need so that we are better able to deal, as a global community, with challenges like Covid and the climate crisis. Instead its government has chosen to shamefully abandon those most in need.”