While most countries cut foreign aid, ours goes UP
BRITAIN bucked the trend of Western nations by increasing spending on foreign aid last year while others imposed savage cuts.
More than half the members of a group of 28 industrialised nations reduced their aid budget between 2013 and 2014, a report found.
Britain’s failure to follow suit – thanks to a target imposed by David Cameron – means that its overseas aid spending of 0.7 per cent of national income is double the average level of the other nations in the group known as the Development Assistance Committee.
Out of every £100 spent by these Western nations on overseas aid, no less than £14 now comes from the UK.
Overall across these 28 countries aid budgets fell by 0.5 per cent in real terms, according to the report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Despite this, the UK increased its spend by 1.2 per cent to £11.7billion in 2014. It comes on top of even larger increases in previous years.
France slashed its aid budget by 9.2 per cent to £6.2billion, the fourth successive decrease.
Japan’s was cut by 15.3 per cent to £5.5billion. Australia cut its foreign aid by 7.2 per cent to £2.5billion, while cashstrapped Spain cut its funding by 20.3 per cent to £1.1billion.
The UK’s aid budget is now nearly double France’s and ten times the level in Spain.
In total, 15 members of the DAC cut foreign aid, including Belgium, Italy, Norway, Poland and Portugal. Britain was one of 13 countries which increased its budget despite the straitened times. These included Germany, the US and New Zealand.
Surprisingly, Greece, which is dependent on bailouts from the EU and the IMF, put up its aid budget by 6.8 per cent.
Last night Tory Peter Bone, who is standing for re-election as MP for Wellingborough, said: ‘When we have seen cuts at Trade, not aid: Peter Bone home, people find it very strange that we can give away so many billions of pounds a year, half of which we don’t even control who it goes to.
‘People are telling me on the doorstep during this campaign that we should cut the amount we spend on overseas aid, and increase opportunities for poorer countries to trade with the EU – trade, not aid, is what we need. What this report shows is that other governments recognise the fact that we have got to look after our own country first, and ensure aid is better targeted.’
Britain’s aid budget may need to rise by at least £500million in future years, because changes in EU accounting rules make it harder to meet the 0.7 per cent
‘Better targeted’
target. The Development Assistance Committee was set up by the OECD which represents richer countries.
The OECD report, 2014 Global Outlook on Aid, shows that Britain is one of only five members of the DAC to meet the target of spending 0.7 per cent of national income on aid along with Sweden, Luxembourg, Norway and Denmark. The average OECD member spends just 0.39 per cent.
In monetary terms, the UK now has the second highest aid budget in the world behind the US which spends £19.6billion. But that is just 0.19 per cent of its national income. France spends 0.36 per cent, and Germany 0.41 per cent.
The 28 DAC members spent a total of £81billion on aid last year – a record figure, but down in real terms. It means the UK’s budget of £11.7billion is a seventh of the entire total for the Western world.
Max Lawson, of Oxfam, praised Britain and criticised countries which have cut their aid budgets. ‘Aid saves lives,’ he said. ‘What we’re seeing is shameful indifference on the part of many of the world’s richest nations.
‘Their leaders are breaking with impunity the solemn promise they made to help Make Poverty History.’