Aid crusade hits home

THIS newspaper’s crusade against Britain’s overblown foreign aid budget has received the support of both politicians and business leaders in the past week. And you, our readers, have also shown that this is an issue that concerns you deeply. So far we have received 20,000 of our coupons and 10,000 online endorsements. By the end of today we confidently expect to receive at least 10,000 more.

The British public is always generous in its response to natural and humanitarian disasters overseas. And it is also understood that for Britain to maintain its standing internationally it needs to give developmental aid.

But to have an arbitrary set target encourages complacency and carelessness resulting in huge sums being sent to finance worthless schemes or to prop up corrupt regimes.