A group of 28 MPs from seven different political parties wrote to Raab claiming his plans to abandon the 0.7% of GDP spend on aid would break a law instituted by David Cameron, the i has revealed.
They said: "The ex-Director of Public Prosecutions, Lord Macdonald of River Glaven, has recently investigated the legality of the government’s failure to pass new legislation before the development cut was announced.
"He was clear that the International Development Act 2015 does not make provision to change the 0.7 per cent target itself, only to miss it."
Layla Moran, the Liberal Democrats’ aid spokesperson, who co-ordinated the letter, said: "We are asking Dominic Raab to tell us what checks and processes this decision went through before being made.
"We also urge him to bring this to parliament for a vote when we return from Recess, even though it would be retrospective. The clear intention of the current law cannot be ridden roughshod over."
In November, Raab said that the government would “bring forward legislation in due course” in order to change its legal obligations under the 2015 act.
However, Foreign Office lawyers now believe that a clause in the law allowing ministers to reduce aid spending in times of financial turbulence means that no legislation is necessary.
www.theneweuropean.co.uk/brexit-news/westminster-news/mps-challenge-government-s-aid-cut-7866686
