Chancellor Rishi Sunak is coming under increasing pressure to axe the £15billion a year spend in the upcoming Budget in order to help fund the UK’s huge coronavirus crisis bill, while the money saved could also be used to fund Foreign Office and Ministry of Defence projects. The UK has a legal commitment to spend 0.7 percent of its economy’s GDP on foreign projects and some of the world’s richest countries, including China and India, have benefited from taxpayers’ money. But any major change would require primary legislation to come into effect and could take several months.
Earlier this month, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab insisted the UK Government remains committed to spending 0.7 percent of GDP on foreign aid, adding the target is a manifesto commitment that was written into law.
In July, it was revealed a staggering £71million of taxpayers’ money was sent to China in just one year, despite Beijing having the second-largest economy in the world and a world-renowned space programme.
The annual report from the Department for International Development (DfID) found the huge sum was sent via a combination of direct British aid and a share of funding the UK gives to the likes of the United Nations and EU, who then distribute it.
Mr Raab said around £3billion would be cut from the aid budget next year, with the axe falling on countries such as China.
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But Ben Harris-Quinney, chairman of the Bow Group think tank, told Express.co.uk: “We are consistently told that the international aid budget has many benefits to the UK.
“In spending £15 billion a year you would certainly expect some benefits, but I have seen no evidence of return on the scale of investment we have been making.
“Foreign aid is poor people being taxed in rich countries to send money to rich people in poor countries.
“The Chinese and Indian Governments have space programs more advanced than we do, they do not need the taxes of hard working Brits to help them pay for it.
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“It’s unjustifiable, and especially so given the real reasons behind its implementation. It should be completely abolished.”
John O’Connell, chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, raged in many cases, the use of the UK’s foreign aid budget for programmes and schemes is a “completely unacceptable use of taxpayers’ cash”.
Mr O’Connell told this website: “For too long Brits have footed the bill for wasteful aid spending to the tune of millions, possibly billions of pounds.
“Money sent overseas should be used for genuine humanitarian reasons.
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“Projects such as training imams to preach against smoking in Pakistan or juggling lessons in Tanzania is a completely unacceptable use of taxpayers’ cash.
“Given the current economic climate, keeping a tight grip on the public purse strings is crucial.
“The Government should scrap its aid spending target of 0.7 per cent of Gross National Income and divert funds into vital front-line services.”
In June, Mr Johnson scrapped the foreign aid department and merged it with the Department for International Development (DfID).
The Prime Minister said at the time: “The UK possesses the third biggest aid budget and diplomatic network in the world.
“We owe it to our people to make the best use of these assets.
“For too long frankly UK overseas aid has been treated as some giant cashpoint in the sky that arrives without any reference to UK interests or to the values the UK wishes to express or the priorities diplomatic political or commercial of the Government of the UK.
“The British taxpayer has a right to expect that we will achieve the maximum value for every pound that we spend.”
