‘Aid cut’ for rich nations that fail their own people

BRITAIN will cut foreign aid spending on countries that do not use their own resources to help their citizens, the International Development Secretary has pledged.

Penny Mordaunt said there were ‘ legitimate questions’ about how the £ 13billion budget is spent when the UK had ‘domestic needs’.

The minister, who replaced Priti Patel in November, said that Britain would not provide handouts ‘when others should be putting their hands in their pockets’ and will increasingly target spending on helping countries ‘stand on their own two feet’.

In an article for the Daily Telegraph, she wrote: ‘We must be able to demonstrate why it absolutely needs to be Britain that pays for projects – rather than other donors, the private sector or, where it can, the government of the country itself.

‘I want the governments of devel- oping countries to take responsibility for investing in healthcare or education. If it chooses not to, that will inform our decisions. We will continue to prioritise investments in saving lives, tackling undernutrition, improving health and getting kids a quality education.

‘But our focus will increasingly be on helping developing countries stand on their own feet and build sustainable health and education systems that they invest in themselves. Experts from my department will help them manage their public finances better and reform their tax systems in order to fund public services.’

Miss Mordaunt said she recognised concerns from voters about how much was spent on foreign aid by the Department for International Development (DfID).

She added: ‘What they question is the weight and resource given to this task by their parliament and their government, especially when there are domestic needs and a national debt to address. I understand those legitimate questions, having come to DfID from the ministries of local government, work and pensions, and defence.’

Ministers have been under pressure to improve how aid money is spent following Theresa May’s announcement during the election campaign that the Government would keep the controversial spending target – 0.7 per cent of national income.

Figures released in November showed the country’s aid spending reached £13.4billion in 2016, up £1.3billion on the year before. Money funnelled through the EU rose by £177million to £1.5billion, despite warnings from Miss Patel about the lack of oversight on how Brussels distributed the money.

EU-run projects include providing juggling lessons in Tanzania and promoting African dancing.

Despite pledges to stop aid to India, last year £92.6million was spent on projects there by Whitehall officials. UK-funded schemes included £ 86,616 on testing whether yoga helps people who have had heart attacks in India, and £100,000 on bringing female scientists from the country to visit Cambridge University.

The amount sent to China jumped by £2.6million to £46.9million. British aid went on improving dementia care in Qingdao and a schools programme to encourage children to eat less salt.

‘Domestic needs to address’