Opinion Series

UK election: International development priorities for a new government

The UK general election is being held on the 4 July 2024 and soon after a new government will be formed. The rise of AI technologies, trade negotiations, global taxation, poverty and inequalities, and conflict and humanitarian crises – not least in Gaza and Sudan –are all pressing international development issues that have an impact on the UK, and UK government, in various ways.

Shiny brass sign on the side of a stone building that reads Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office.
Sign by the main entrance to the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office in King Charles Street, central London, UK. Credit: Shutterstock / Dominic Dudley

In this opinion series, IDS researchers share what they believe are the important areas for international development that an incoming UK government should address.

Content in this series

Opinion

International development priorities for a new UK government

The UK electorate will cast their vote on the 4 July and soon after a new government will be formed and a new parliament will begin. Inevitably, there will be a full in-tray of domestic issues to address, including the…

28 June 2024

Opinion

How can a new UK government deliver AI for development?

As we approach the UK General Election, the IDS Digital and Technology Cluster has been contemplating what the digital development priorities regarding artificial intelligence (AI) should be for an incoming administration. There is enormous potential for AI to benefit development…

26 June 2024

Opinion

The next UK government must defend the humanitarian system

After the 4 July general election, a new government will face a global aid system struggling to meet needs. There are more crises, lasting longer, with aid workers asked to do far more than provide “life-saving assistance.” Palestinian Civil Defense…

25 June 2024

Opinion

Rethinking biodiversity: challenges and paths forward

Biodiversity is back on the international policy agenda in a big way. The United Nations names biodiversity loss, alongside climate change and pollution, as part of an interlinked planetary ‘triple crisis’. The UK was instrumental in driving forward the 2022…

05 June 2024

Opinion

Why policy makers need to stop treating climate change in isolation

Climate change is perhaps the greatest challenge facing humanity, set to reverse the gains made in human development. Yet policy discussions are too often reduced to physical impacts and technical or economic fixes. In the process, root causes and wider…

26 March 2024

Opinion

New priorities for humanitarian assistance, livelihoods and resilience

Linking short-term relief and long-term sustainable development has long been an important policy ambition. Yet too often, humanitarian responses in the face of disasters become detached from building and strengthening livelihood systems. How can this disconnection be solved in practice?…

19 March 2024

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