Miliband will personally lead UK engagement with the World Bank and attend its main meetings as the government says development and climate finance will remain central priorities alongside poverty reduction.
Ed Miliband will become the UK Governor to the World Bank, giving the Foreign Secretary direct responsibility for the country’s engagement on international development and climate finance. He is set to attend the institution’s annual and spring meetings, beginning with the annual meetings in Bangkok this October, in what the government described as a push to strengthen UK leadership on poverty, climate change and economic stability. The role is traditionally held by a junior minister, making Miliband’s appointment an unusual step that elevates development policy and climate finance within government. The announcement follows the appointment of Kirsty McNeill as Minister of State for International Development and Africa. She will oversee day-to-day delivery of the government’s development approach and serve as UK governor to four regional development banks, while Miliband represents development issues at Cabinet level. The government said the shift would support work on extreme poverty, food insecurity, energy price shocks and the climate and nature crisis, arguing that these pressures also affect Britain’s security, prosperity and household costs. The move comes after the government decided in February to cut official development assistance spending to 0.3% of gross national income by 2027 to help fund higher defense spending, while maintaining a commitment to return aid spending to 0.7% when fiscal conditions allow.