ABSTRACT
This chapter sets out the relationship between aid, power, and politics in the UK. It charts the history of the UK aid programme, linking it to Britain’s place in the world and its overall international profile, also exploring how these relate to broader historical developments, such as the establishment of a new economic and political order following the Second World War and during decolonisation and the Cold War. The chapter links aid policy to domestic politics in the UK and its impact on the work of the Department for International Development and its predecessors. The description of the UK as an aid or development superpower – terms that are not unproblematic, as they could be construed as arrogant and self-satisfied – have proved appropriate in recent history, with the UK playing a strong leadership role in aid and development and remaining a major force on the world stage in other areas of international policy. Whether such a description will continue to apply to the UK in future remains to be seen and will depend on whether Britain maintains full engagement internationally or becomes more introspective and insular, the choices which have been thrown into sharp focus by its changing relationship with the European Union. The decisive turn at this crossroads has yet to be made.
