In an interview with Guardian reporter Liz Ford, Andrew Mitchell, Britain’s former international development secretary, “talks candidly about some of the key issues affecting the Department for International Development,” the newspaper reports. “Although no longer development secretary — he was reshuffled out of DfID last year to become chief whip, and resigned from that job in October — he’s still bullish and very much on message when it comes to aid spending,” The Guardian writes, noting, “Asked how to ensure the big sums of money promised at last year’s family planning summit benefit those who need it most, he says DfID is fully capable of tracking progress.” In the interview, Mitchell “wholeheartedly defends the coalition government’s failure to enshrine into law the target to spend 0.7 percent of GNI on aid,” but he says he is “proud” to have been a part of the government when the U.K. became the first country to honor the commitment, the newspaper continues, adding that he also “defends Britain’s support for countries such as Rwanda and Ethiopia, which are considered development successes but have dubious human rights records.” The Guardian includes a link to a video of the conversation (5/14).