Patel to use aid as lever to get trade
PRITI Patel has vowed to use Britain’s aid budget to help to push for new trade deals.
The new International Development Secretary has said that the £11billion spent abroad should now be used to encourage countries to strike lucrative agreements with Britain.
Ms Patel has long been a critic of international aid, previously, calling for the abolition of her new department.
But now, as Britain prepares for a prosperous post-Brexit era, she has set out a vision for the money spent bailing out poorer countries.
Ms Patel is understood to have made an urgent priority to change the culture of aid. She plans to link it with new trade deals being set up for when Britain is free of Brussels rule.
Already 27 countries, including a large number that receive aid from the UK, have expressed an interest in having a business link with Britain.
Ms Patel has held meetings with new Trade Secretary Liam Fox, a fellow Brexit campaigner, to co-ordinate their efforts to get the best possible deals for the country. She hinted at her new approach soon after she was handed the Cabinet post, when she said she wants to use the aid budget to help “our trading partners of the future”.
A source close to Ms Patel said: “Britain’s international aid commitments mean it gets fantastic access to foreign leaders all round the world. We can leverage existing relationships to strike trade deals. The Department for International Development can be used to improve Britain’s standing.”
Part of David Cameron and George Osborne’s legacy was increased spending on aid, despite austerity at home.