Now Cameron urges poor countries: Don’t take our aid, raise tax instead!

DAVID Cameron has said countries which receive aid from Britain should put up their taxes instead.

In a speech, he defended his controversial decision to enshrine the 0.7 per cent aid target in law, saying he was one of its ‘strongest supporters’. But he also called for poor recipients of foreign aid to do more to raise their own taxes as rich countries could not afford to fund their public services indefinitely.

‘You cannot expect the world to keep on paying you for ever,’ he said. Mr Cameron added that there should be tougher rules to ensure help is stopped when it appears British aid money is being siphoned off.

At the Chatham House policy institute in London, Mr Cameron said the world must do more to tackle corruption in poorer nations.

‘Time and again as Prime Minister I saw it as the driving force behind so many events,’ he said. ‘Why did people support the Arab Spring? Because the things people wanted – “bread, freedom and social justice” – were stolen by their supposed protectors.

‘Why were the Taliban and other groups able to recruit so many followers? Because they tapped into grievances about the lack of justice.’

He added: ‘We wanted to help eradicate extreme poverty. Yet what stops some of the poorest countries turning aid money into food and healthcare and education? Corruption.’

Mr Cameron also hinted that Russia beat England to stage this summer’s football World Cup through corruption.

‘We wanted to lead the world in great sporting events that bring people together,’ he said. ‘Yet how did Russia end up winning? I’ll let you fill in the blank.’