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Cameron criticises Johnson and May over aid cuts and security oversight

David Cameron has criticised Boris Johnson’s aid cuts and abolition of the Department for International Development, and accused Theresa May of making a “very bad mistake” in merging key cabinet and security roles.
The former prime minister’s criticism of his successors came as he made a rare (virtual) return to parliament, where he told the joint committee on national security strategy (JCNSS) on Monday that he was “sure there will be a big inquiry” into the handling of the Covid pandemic.
Cameron also eagerly mounted a defence of his own much-criticised decision to call the referendum on the UK’s membership of the EU, and appeared keen to reject suggestions that he had rushed into it, after he was asked whether the move had been part of an overall national strategy.
“It is not as if this was something that was thought up and popped in a manifesto,” he said by video link from his home. “It was properly thought through, discussed, argued, debated, voted on in parliament, put in a manifesto, a government was formed on the basis of that manifesto … I sometimes read about it as if people think it was a sort of afterthought.
“I think it was January 2013, the announcement of holding a referendum before the halfway point of the next parliament was made.”
Appearing as part of the JCNSS inquiry into Britain’s national security machinery, Cameron was particularly critical of May’s decision to merge the role of cabinet secretary and national security adviser. Sir Mark Sedwill held what Cameron described as “two jobs” during May’s tenure.
“For one person, even if you were a cross of Einstein, Wittgenstein and Mother Teresa, you couldn’t possibly do both jobs, and I think that temporarily weakened the national security council,” Cameron told the committee.
On Johnson’s decision to scrap the international development department, Cameron said: “I think abolishing DfID is a mistake too for all sorts of reasons, but one of which is actually having the Foreign Office voice around the
“Can you really expect the foreign secretary to do all of the diplomatic stuff and be able to speak to the development brief as well? That’s quite a task, so I think it is good to have both.
He also repeated his criticism of the government’s announcement last year that it would renege on a commitment to spend 0.7% of gross national income on official development assistance.
Earlier, Cameron said he believed “a big mistake” had been made by British governments in terms of focusing preparedness for future pandemics on influenza rather than a virus like Covid-19.
“I am sure there will be a big inquiry. There was a pretty big flu pandemic plan but it was a flu plan,” said Cameron, who added that there had also been a “global virus surveillance unit” but he wasn’t sure what had happened to it after he left office.
He recalled what he described as the slow response of the World Health Organization (WHO) to the outbreak of Ebola in west Africa in 2014, when the national infrastructures of states such as the UK, US and France had then “steamed in”.
He agreed that more should have been learned from outbreaks of severe acute respiratory syndrome, caused by the Sars coronavirus.
The SNP MP Angus MacNeil asked Cameron if he ever thought about a comeback, noting that Donald Trump had been talking about standing again for US president.
Cameron ruled the idea out. “Thinking about Donald Trump making a comeback is enough to keep us all spinning over,” he said, adding that he was busy enough working on initiatives in the fields of dementia and Alzheimer’s.
source: Ben Quinn
Levant
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BENEFIT Sponsors BuildHer...
- April 23, 2025
BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”
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