Boris Johnson has said investment in global education is a “Swiss army knife” for solving “virtually every problem that afflicts humanity”. Speaking at a summit attended by a host of developing world leaders, the Prime Minister said he was “proud” the UK had pledged £430 million last month to the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) in the face of “difficult financial circumstances” after the coronavirus pandemic. He described the contribution as a “hell of a lot”, despite critics saying it falls short of what is required to fix the global education “crisis”. The GPE campaign, which aims to secure at least five billion US dollars (£3.6 billion) over the next five years, is designed to help 175 million girls and boys in up to 90 countries.