It’s preposterous that this government should bind itself and its successors to spend a fixed proportion of its budget on any one cause. I’d be against the proposal irrespective of whatever department it favoured.

What’s even more galling is that it works in favour of international aid, which is woefully misdirected at present. I agree with the principle of helping others, thereby directly helping the impoverished abroad and indirectly helping ourselves in the long-run. But it’s indefensible to give British money to countries which spend so much on weapons and/or harbour/sympathise with terrorists.

Better targeted, outcomes-based aid is what we should be aiming for, but even then I don’t favour a set percentage being set aside for that cause.