The United Kingdom has once again returned to the old conservative principle that development aid must be tied to political and foreign policy objectives of the donor government, instead of targets set by various global organisations through consensus. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced the merger of the Department for International Development (DfID) with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) under the control of the Secretary of State. Unveiling his merger plan in the parliament on June 16, PM Johnson said the objective was "to unite our aid with our diplomacy and bring them together in our international effort". This merger move has shocked international development organisations (INGOs) who have been voicing their concerns since the possibility emerged with Johnson's ascension to the leadership. The shock is even greater and deeper as it comes amidst a global pandemic which, undoubtedly, has created the worst humanitarian crisis in many decades at an u...