L-R: Emily Aitchison and Stuart Anderson
A Wolverhampton campaign group is calling on the city’s MPs to back an increase in overseas aid.
The group, called Wolverhampton Has Heart, recently met Stuart Anderson, Conservative MP for Wolverhampton South West, and Pat McFadden, Labour MP for Wolverhampton South East, during a lobby day at Parliament.
They have sent 100 postcards from Wolverhampton people supporting the campaign to Mr McFadden.
Group spokesperson Emily Aitchison said: “The campaign is to get MPs, particularly Mr McFadden in his position as shadow chief secretary to the Treasury, to back the reinstatement of the aid budget to 0.7% of GDP, as it was cut in 2021 by four billion to 0.5% of GDP.
“The people of Wolverhampton care about people across the world, and it’s about time our MPs represented this.”
Emily said the postcards were collected at stalls in the Mander Centre, Bilston and Coseley as campaign group members chatted to members of the public about international issues, particularly projects putting girls in school across the world and support for refugees.
She added: “It was very clear to me as we were collecting these postcards, that people don’t want to see people in the Horn of Africa go hungry, nor do they want to see girls pulled out of school due to our cuts. Hateful politics and fearmongering seem quite loud at the moment, but compassion and solidarity is strong in our city.”
The campaign group is part of The Aid Alliance, an organisation which brings people and groups together to defend the 0.7% aid spending commitment in the 2015 International
Development Act, as well as raise awareness and change public perceptions on aid and development.
To find out more, visit the Wolverhampton Has Heart Facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100068445918905.
