Is UK Foreign Aid being put to good use?
Steve Grimes • 26 February 2023
News & Social Media / Post
Steve Grimes
UK Independence Party - Foreign Affairs Spokesman
In 2021 (the latest figures available), the UK spent £11.4bn on Foreign Aid.
This is how our money was sent abroad in 2021:
· Africa received 50% (the most), £1,727m.
· Asia was the second most at £1,334m (or 39%).
· The Americas received £196m.
· Europe received £154m.
· The Pacific region received £10m.
In summary, Africa and Asia combined, received a massive 89% in UK Foreign Aid in 2021.
I do not have the latest figures but no doubt the UK public is still paying out at around the same level despite now suffering from a severe cost of living crisis.
The good news is that the government decided to reduce Foreign Aid from 0.7% of Gross National Income (GNI) to 0.5% from 2021. The bad news is that this reduction was only temporary and it plans to reinstate the original 0.7% target when finances permit.
Our party strongly disagrees with this and we believe the UK should scrap the Foreign Aid budget altogether.
Sadly, there is an institutional attachment to the concept of foreign aid amongst the globalist establishment, which includes the Civil Service, MPs and the House of Lords. Most of them did their best to stand in the way of the aid budget being cut from 0.7% to 0.5% in October 2021.
The UK Independence Party opposes granting foreign aid. We make an exception for emergency humanitarian aid so nobody in our party would object to aid being given, for example, to help the unfortunate people caught up in the tragic earthquake in Turkey. Apart from that, there is a history of poor value for money, the demands are never ending and our money never seems to solve the problems of the third world.
The UK general government debt deficit (or net borrowing) was £43.9 billion in Quarter 2 of 2022, equivalent to 7.2% of GDP. While there are homeless veterans, and huge NHS waiting lists in the UK we believe charity begins at home and that our money would be better spent in the UK.
Our party would completely cut Overseas Aid until such time as we might again run an annual surplus, and then we might re-introduce it in line with contributions being made by other countries. If Overseas Aid is re-introduced, it will be on a percentage of GNI and not as a percentage of GDP and with no contributions to countries with economies greater than one fifth of ours.
Steve Grimes
UK Independence Party - Foreign Affairs Spokesman
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