Rishi Sunak shuts down foreign aid attack in fiery GMB debate: ‘Spending £10m next year!’

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The overseas aid cut was announced by Chancellor Rishi Sunak as one of a number of measures intended to help cope with the economy contracting by an expected 11.3 percent this year. It prompted Foreign Office minister Baroness Sugg to quit in protest and, in her resignation letter to Boris Johnson, she called it the “fundamentally wrong” move, telling the Prime Minister it would “diminish our power to influence other nations to do what is right”. ITV presenter Susanna Reid said to the Chancellor: “It was a manifesto commitment by your own party on which you were elected that you would maintain that foreign aid contribution and businesses say that it stimulates economic activities abroad and charities are worried about the cost.”

Speaking to ITV’s Good Morning Britain, Mr Sunak said: “It was a very difficult decision, it was one of the difficult decisions I had to make to ensure we keep investing in the priorities the British people have.

“Stronger public services, more money for the NHS and schools, more police and to deliver the step-change in infrastructure investment that will transform our country.

“In order to do all that this was one of the difficult decisions we had to make.”

He added: “But we will still spend £10million on foreign aid next year.

“That’s the equivalent to 0.5 percent which makes us one of the most generous countries in the world.

“The second in the G7 group of large countries.

“I think everybody should be very proud of the role we’re playing.”

More to follow…

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