FOR many, this week’s Budget marked a moment of progress as, for the first time, a female Chancellor of the Exchequer laid out her economic vision.

I recognise the importance of this milestone, yet what we heard from Rachel Reeves doesn’t seem particularly feminist.

While much discussion has focused on its domestic impact, my attention was drawn to how this budget fits with Labour’s supposed internationalist outlook.

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And the harsh reality? It’s worse than the Conservatives.

To be clear from the start, I feel empathy and compassion for those struggling with the cost of living crisis here at home and for those affected by multiple global crises.

Politics shouldn’t be about binary choices – every human life holds value. It’s not about us versus them.

Under successive Conservative Governments, we’ve seen more insular policies pop up (remember the Rwanda Bill?) and in 2021 the Tories reduced the UK’s overseas development assistance (ODA). As an MP at the time, I voted against the ODA cuts and recall the widespread outrage – including from around 25 Conservative MPs who rebelled against their government.

I’m not here to delve into Britain’s colonial history but most would agree that we have a moral duty to fund ODA.

This has been an international commitment for decades. In 1970, Britain pledged to spend at least 0.7% of its GNI (Gross National Income) on ODA as part of a United Nations pact, joining 30 other wealthy countries in meeting this minimum standard.

Yet under the previous Conservative Governments, we saw commitment dwindle.

This Budget was a missed opportunity for Labour to re-establish confidence in the UK as a dependable development partner.

Rather than returning to the 0.7% target, they opted for further cuts to overseas aid – down to 0.5% of GNI from the current 0.58%. This is a real-terms cut, and the effects on an already depleted budget will be far-reaching.

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Many of the countries facing humanitarian crises often contribute the least to the climate crisis. Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia, for instance, struggle with drought and conflict, bearing the brunt of climate change while contributing only 0.6% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

I’ve seen first hand the critical role of overseas aid. In April 2023, I joined a cross-party delegation to Ethiopia with Unicef. At a camp, I met a young mother who had brought her tiny, severely malnourished baby.

She fed him the highly nutritious peanut paste used to treat acute malnutrition and he devoured it.

Some images stay with you forever: the sight of that baby eating as fast as he could, alongside the knowledge that this mother didn’t know when she’d next be able to feed her child, won’t leave me.

As in most crises, whether humanitarian or man-made, women and girls suffer disproportionately. Plan International found that during crises when food is scarce, women and girls are most affected – eating less, eating last, and consuming the least nutritious foods.

Their nutritional needs often fall behind those of their male family members, placing women and girls at higher risk of malnutrition.

And the impact on women and girls extends beyond nutrition. During the hunger crisis in East and Horn of Africa, Plan International also reported rising levels of violence, including sexual assault, domestic violence, and female genital mutilation – along with forced marriage.

In Gaza, the UN found that around 700,000 women and girls have resorted to unsafe methods to manage their periods, risking reproductive and urinary tract infections. Horrifyingly, Oxfam analysis revealed that more women and girls were killed in Gaza by the Israeli military over the past year than in any conflict during the last two decades. The facts are undeniable – women and girls bear the brunt of cuts to overseas aid.

The UK Government must set out a clear timetable and roadmap to restore the 0.7% target. If it doesn’t it will be morally at odds with the internationalist values that so many of us hold. It would also be a step in the right direction for the Prime Minister to reinstate a secretary of state for international development.

When governments commit to overseas aid, they help to foster stability, promote global economic growth and alleviate poverty.

So while I celebrate the historic achievement of a woman delivering the Budget from the House of Commons dispatch box, my thoughts remain with the women and girls who, due to cuts in overseas aid, will be left behind more than ever.

Anum Qaisar is the former SNP MP for Airdrie and Shotts and was previously the SNP’s Westminster spokesperson for international development