Rory Stewart on the Govt's COVID policy, DfID and more

Former International Development Secretary and Conservative MP for Penrith and The Borders (2010-19) Rory Stewart was standing as an independent candidate for Mayor of London when early cases of Coronavirus appeared in the UK. He was one of the earliest public figures to call for a lockdown to combat the pandemic in Britain. Here he talks to Bronwen Maddox, Director of the Institute for Government, about the Government’s handling of COVID-19, the decision to merge the Department for International Development with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and the UK’s place in the world after Brexit.

Rory Stewart was MP for Penrith and The Border from 2010–19. He served in the Theresa May government as Secretary of State for International Development and as Minister of State for Prisons. He is a former diplomat and author of several books recounting his long-distance walks in Afghanistan, Iraq and the Scottish Borders. He stood as an independent candidate for London Mayor but ended his campaign when the election was postponed due to Covid-19.

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