AN MP has demanded government re-think its commitment to overseas aid and spend the cash at home after he revealed eye-watering amounts of taxpayers’ money was being wasted on consultancy fees.
Shipley MP Philip Davies said the commitment to spend 0.7 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) led to waste and frivolous spending.
Speaking in the Commons he said: “No self respecting Conservative believes you should be judged simply on how much you spend on something. Spending a guaranteed amount of money each year on overseas aid leads to waste and excess such as the £1 billion spent each year on consultants. When can we get back to some common sense and stop spending more and more on overseas aid every year when the money could be much between spent at home.”
International Development Secretary Priti Patel said her department’s mission was to ensure every penny of taxpayer’s money goes to helping the worlds poorest.
She added: “Overseas development assistance saves lives and transforms lives and he specifically refers to spending on consultants and that is something that my department is looking at right now and currently reviewing.”
Mr Davies previously called for part of the money being spent on overseas aid to be ploughed into adult social care to help the elderly, vulnerable and disabled.
In 2015 MPs voted in favour of the International Development Bill which committed the UK to spending 0.7 per cent of GDP on overseas aid. Mr Davies did not support the Bill.