Bloated aid budget to be shaken up

BRITAIN’S bloated foreign aid budget will be funnelled into projects that promote the country’s interests, Boris Johnson has declared.

The Foreign Secretary said the cash will be ‘more sensibly distributed’ to support UK policy goals rather than only helping the world’s poor. Some of the £13billion budget would be diverted to where it will support British efforts to deny safe havens to Islamist extremists, including countries in Africa and the Middle East such as Yemen. Mr Johnson told The Sunday Times: ‘The old jam jars are being smashed. The cash will be more sensibly distributed with a view to supporting British foreign policy.

‘You are going to see a lot of progress there on ODA [official development assistance] funding, supporting diplomatic activity in Africa, which is entirely sensible.’

Britain also currently contributes about 25 per cent of the EU’s aid spending and Mr Johnson said Brexit would give the Government more control over how this money is spent. Cash will also be sent to refugee camps for Rohingya Muslims fleeing across the Burmese border into Bangladesh.

Last week, the Mail revealed UK aid to the world’s 20 most corrupt countries soared by 10 per cent last year to almost £1.39billion.

Mr Johnson’s comments came as International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt said the UK will give a £21million boost to the UN’s Central Emergency Response Fund for health services and clean water to people suffering humanitarian crises.