Figures emerged yesterday that showed that Britain’s foreign aid budget soared from £6.23 billion to a record of £15.2billion in 2019, an increase of 4.3 per cent. Not one of the other most developed G7 nations of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the US met the global target of 0.7 per cent of national income on foreign aid.
The international Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development dictates as to what it counts as official development assistance. Last year Australia spent just 0.22 per cent of its national income on aid, with Canada at 0.27 per cent, Japan at 0.29 per cent and Spain at 0.21 per cent. Italy gives 0.24 per cent and France only 0.44 per cent. Turkey gave 1.15 per cent.
This foreign aid was spent on a variety of projects. A rock salt mosque in Shali in Egypt was rebuilt using British foreign aid, and more than £830,000 was spent in Turkey which is a member of the G20 group and one the world’s richest nations. Projects funded there included £50,467 to document rock carvings. A second project involved giant mice are being wiped out on an uninhabited volcanic island in the Atlantic using more than £1.5million in aid. Experts want to kill every mouse on Gough Island to protect one of the world’s most important seabird nest sites. At least two million chicks are lost annually to the mice, which are 50 per cent bigger than house mice.
Last year Britain also increased its foreign aid spending in China and India, while both can both afford to send rockets to the Moon. These projects included £1.1million to cut the amount of salt the Chinese eat, and on text alerts to tackle problem drinking in India.
Most of Britain’s foreign aid budget is distributed by the Department for International Development but other ministries use it, too. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy spent £951million last year which was an increase of £101million on 2018. The Home Office gave £452million, up £115million on the year before.
Current Affairs Correspondent | My name is Oliver Down I am 22, and a staunch brexiteer. I am a Bristolian lad who studied politics in Leicester. I believe in free speech and accurate journalism and I won’t be afraid to give you “the other side” of the story!
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