LONDON: UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is increasingly likely to backtrack and offer MPs a vote on foreign aid cuts as warnings mount that the move could damage the reputation of his Conservative Party and the lives of impoverished people in the Arab world.
The Sunday Times reported that Johnson is 鈥渁ctively considering鈥� plans to allow MPs a binding vote on the 拢4 billion ($5.6 billion) cuts to the overseas aid budget before the parliamentary summer recess, according to its sources.
Former Brexit Secretary David Davis is among 50 Conservative rebel MPs 鈥� including former Prime Minister Theresa May 鈥� who are planning to vote against a proposal to cut the foreign aid budget from 0.7 percent of gross domestic product to 0.5 percent despite the party committing to maintaining the figure in its 2019 general election manifesto.
Syria, Yemen, Libya and Lebanon are among the countries set to be hit hardest by the policy change.
Downing Street has maintained that the cuts are a temporary measure due to the economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic, but has offered no timeframe for returning to the 0.7 percent target.
Davis told BBC Radio 4 last month that potentially lifesaving schemes had already been canceled as a result of the move. 
鈥淚t鈥檚 going to have devastating consequences across the world. Historically I鈥檓 a critic of aid spending, but doing it this way is really so harmful,鈥� he said.
鈥淵ou鈥檝e got massive cuts in clean water which kills more children worldwide than almost anything else 鈥� 80 percent cut there,鈥� he added.
鈥淚f you鈥檙e a small child and suddenly you get dirty water, you get an infection from it and you die, temporary doesn鈥檛 mean much.
鈥淚f you鈥檙e going to kill people with this, which I think is going to be the outcome in many areas, we need to reverse those immediately.鈥�
The 0.7 percent figure is enshrined in law, and reducing it would lead to millions of pounds less being spent on supporting vital humanitarian causes in Yemen, Syria and across the Arab region.
Women鈥檚 reproductive health centers and childhood polio vaccination schemes are under fire. 
In June, Johnson avoided a parliamentary defeat after MPs were blocked from voting on an amendment to the proposed cuts, which had been proposed by Conservative rebels.
Parliament Speaker Sir Linsay Hoyle said Johnson had failed to show the House of Commons 鈥渢he due respect which it deserves,鈥� adding that the government must table an urgent, legally binding vote on the funding cuts.
A senior Whitehall source told the Sunday Times: 鈥淭he rebels have made it clear that this issue is not going to go away. I think there is now a realization within government that this could become a much longer issue and there is legislation coming up that will require the goodwill of MPs.
鈥淕iving MPs a vote in parliament is now under very active consideration and there is the very real prospect that it will happen before the summer recess.鈥�
Andrew Mitchell, a former international development secretary and strong critic of foreign aid cuts, said: 鈥淭he government needs to get off this hook, which is damaging our international reputation and leading to hundreds of thousands of avoidable deaths.鈥�
He added: 鈥淭hey do not command a majority in the Commons on this issue. Too many Tory (Conservative) colleagues are deeply concerned and will not support the government鈥檚 current position.鈥�
Davis said: 鈥淭he simple truth is that this policy will lead to the death of women and children. It鈥檚 a breach of our manifesto promise, it鈥檚 very likely unlawful and has never been put before parliament.鈥�
He added: 鈥淢any MPs feel an enormous moral imperative to put this right as soon as possible and much of the public feel the same.鈥�