The London Somalia conference has just concluded, with David Cameron taking centrestage at a press conference at the Foreign Office. Much of what was said was to be expected - the prime minister of Somalia's transitional federal government welcomed the possibility of "targeted" air strikes, while Cameron refused to commit to any kind of intervention - but there were a couple of points that were of interest.
Asked why this conference was being held now, given that the crisis in Somalia has been going on for years, Cameron initially deflected with a joke, saying: "I haven't been prime minister for very long". He then followed up with a list of reasons why he thinks the UK is in a strong position to lead the way on Somalia. Prominent amongst them was this one: "We've kept our promises on aid, and that puts us in a position of trust".
The decision to increase UK spending on aid 0.7% of GDP is strongly opposed within the prime minister's own party, with many backbench Conservatives feeling that to increase aid spending like this is to put the interests of foreign countries ahead of UK taxpayers. Despite this, the PM and his international development secretary Andrew Mitchell have remained firm. Cameron's remarks this afternoon offer an insight into why, amid government austerity, he has remained so fixed on this - he believes that if the UK is trusted as an aid-provider, it will be trusted to lead other matters of foreign policy, too. There's even a possible plan to enshrine the 0.7% commitment in law, the Daily Mail reported earlier this year.
In an interview earlier this year, Andrew Mitchell told the Daily Telegraph that foreign aid helps to 'keep us safe' and helps to minimise possible security threats from abroad. Now, it seems like the prime minister is saying that foreign aid also gives us the authority to exert greater influence on the world stage.
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