Cameron’s pride over £11.4 billion foreign aid spend is ‘misplaced’, says MEP

The Prime Minister’s pride in achieving its aim of spending 0.7% of UK national income on foreign aid is misplaced, said local MEP Paul Nuttall.

Announcing that this spending brings its overall spend up to £11.4 billion in 2013, a dramatic increase of 30% on the previous year (£8.8 billion) Mr Cameron said: "I am proud of the fact that we have taken 0.7% of this year’s GDP and given it to the poorest countries in the world."

“The Prime Minister’s pride is misplaced. The question is why, during a time of austerity, has the UK spent £11.4 billion, 0.7% of national income on foreign aid? Despite its much greater wealth, the United States spent only 0.19%,” said Mr Nuttall, deputy UKIP leader.

“UKIP recognises that some countries do have problems, but the needs of the British people should come first. These billions could be spent on training or apprenticeships for our young people and on helping the vulnerable in our society.

“There is no need to send this huge amount of taxpayers' money to allegedly poor countries, some of whom maintain aircraft carriers and space programmes.

“Regrettably, foreign aid often ends up being the transfer of wealth from poor people in the UK to rich dictators in other countries. UKIP has a better solution, which is trade, not aid," said Mr Nuttall.