Aid minister says taxpayers should see how cash is spent

The public should be able to see in real time what international aid is spent on and how effective it is, the International Development Secretary has said.

Penny Mordaunt admitted that there was a “lack of trust” over the way money was being spent after a sex abuse and harassment scandal. The public had the right to know “what, where, how and why” money was allocated and if it achieved desired results.

She also said that the Government would try to spend more of the aid budget through its own departments rather than giving it to charities.

Her remarks came after it emerged that the foreign aid budget, which is set on the basis of a target worth 0.7 per cent of GDP, had risen to almost £14 billion.

Ms Mordaunt used a speech in London to signal a crackdown on questionable payments. “We won’t fund governments who can afford to, yet choose not to, invest in their own people,” she said. “We will not fund projects that would happen without us. Or spend money that could be better spent otherwise.”