Celebrities launch Global Poverty Promise

By Alex Smith / @alexsmith1982

Alongside Douglas Alexander, Davina McCall, Mariella Frostrup, Annie Lennox, Richard Wilson and Meera Syal are among the big names launching a new poverty campaign today, the fifth anniversary of Nelson Mandela’s Make Poverty History speech in Trafalgar Square.

The celebs are using the video to highlight how small 0.7% is – yet how much of a difference it will make to lives in the developing world.

They are inviting people to show their support for a new law that would commit the UK to spend 0.7% of national income on development assistance, by signing up to GlobalPovertyPromise.com.

Labour has tripled the UK’s aid budget and is committed to spending 0.7% of the UK’s Gross National Income on aid from 2013 with the draft Overseas Development Bill which was introduced to Parliament last month.

The Conservatives have refused to say they would introduce such a law. According to the Labour Campaign or International Development, aid groups are concerned that the Conservatives’ plans for international development could mean large sums will be diverted from tackling poverty.

If you value Britain’s commitment to international development spending, please sign up to the Global Poverty Promise here.