The view from the opposition benches

The Labour government's White Paper is welcome as it builds firmly on the policies of the previous Conservative administration. In particular, the four aims of aid policy laid out in the Fundamental Expenditure Review-support for sound political and economic policies, promotion of stronger health and education services, encouragement of sustainable development, and a commitment to work with our international partners to alleviate poverty and to provide disaster relief-are all confirmed in the White Paper. The White Paper's support for this agenda represents some U-turns, for example with respect to the relationship to the IMF, a possible social clause in the WTO and the position on the quantity and quality of British aid. However, there are also areas of confusion created by some of Labour's statements on aid policy that the White Paper does little to resolve-such as the relationship between DFID and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (including the respective roles of the Know-How Fund and the Westminster Foundation for Democracy), the role of NGOs, and the future of mixed credits. While the White Paper is welcome, the real test lies in Labour's future performance, which will have to be carefully scrutinized. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.