The Bishop of Oxford has written to every MP in Bucks and Berkshire urging them to reject today's announcement by the Chancellor of a 'temporary' reduction in the international development budget.

Right Reverend Doctor Steven Croft says he is disappointed by the decision and warns the change will have 'devastating impacts'.

He said: "Whilst I fully acknowledge the scale and complexity of the challenges the government now faces, the fact remains that we are one of the richest countries in the world and the Chancellor’s actions today undermine reassurances given previously by ministers on the floor of the House of Lords to honour the 0.7% of GDP commitment.

"Perhaps most worrying, the Chancellor has given no assurance of when 0.7% will be restored. Cutting our development spending will heap a disproportionate extra load onto nations already overburdened by debt, poverty, and other developmental challenges.”

The World Bank estimates that up to 150 million people now risk falling into extreme poverty through the effects of the pandemic and Bishop Steven joins other senior church members as well as the Archbishop of Canterbury in calling for people to urge their MPs to reject the cuts to the international development budget.

The bishop - whose diocese covers Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Berkshire, concluded by saying: “The Government’s 0.7% commitment to foreign aid, enshrined in law, is both a tangible and a symbolic demonstration of the values underpinning Britain’s global aspiration to use her wealth and her soft power as a force for good in the world.”