Boris Johnson supports foreign aid so much he’s closed its department

The prime minister may want to strengthen his support with those voters who are opposed to foreign aid altogether – without actually saying so, writes John Rentoul

Boris Johnson announces disbanding of DfID as Starmer accuses him of ‘distractions’ (EPA)

Why? And why now? The mystery of the prime minister’s decision to close the Department for International Development (DfID) remained unresolved after he made his statement and answered questions on it for an hour.

MPs on both sides of the House, and former prime ministers outside it, were left scratching their heads. Maybe it is something Boris Johnson decided when he was foreign secretary, and was determined to see through as prime minister, but why did he persist with it in the middle of the coronavirus crisis?

“Amid the pandemic, the House will ask whether this is the right moment to reorganise Whitehall,” Johnson said. But he didn’t answer the question, beyond some bureaucratic jargon about greater coherence.