The Conservative Party and DFID: party statecraft and development policy since 1997

ABSTRACT Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s decision to merge DFID with the FCO in June 2020 subordinated development policy to an ill-defined conception of the national interest. It represented the latest twist in the Conservative Party’s fluctuating relationship with the institutionalisation of development policy in Whitehall since 1964. This article contextualises that evolving debate within the Conservative Party, situating it alongside parallel developments in the relationship between DFID and other Whitehall departments since 1997. The article argues that intra-party Conservative debate about DFID is disconnected from the contemporary history of institutional reform and interdepartmental coordination, both during the New Labour years and under Conservative-led governments since 2010. The article emphasises the specific domestic political context of David Cameron’s commitment as Conservative leader to support DFID’s independence and increase development spending, highlighting the equivocal reception of his commitments on the right of the party. The article concludes with criticism of the logic of the Johnson administration’s case for the merger, underlining its similarity with Thatcher era arguments. The merger highlights salient differences between Johnson’s and Cameron’s electoral challenges and party statecraft strategies, reflecting changes in the party and its electoral coalition since the 2016 EU referendum.