Foreign aid for Africa missing the point

Editor,

Theresa May’s pledge to use UK foreign aid money to drive economic growth in Africa is “missing the point” as far as the general public is concerned.

I appreciate it makes sense for the cash to be used to drive economic growth there and theoretically that would benefit us in the long run but the stark reality is can we really afford to hand over £2.6 billion annually to the continent?

Just think what a fantastic boost that sum could do for our own economy right now.

We’ve all read outrageous stories about our hard-earned taxpayers’ money being wasted on daft projects abroad and the majority in this country are rightly very unhappy at the government’s commitment - as established by David Cameron - to spend 0.7% of gross national income on foreign aid. 

We’ve always been a generous empathetic country and funds invariably flood in at times of natural disaster wherever in the world but charity starts at home and we simply must abandon the rigid financial formula that is draining our funds. 

We desperately need more medical staff and emergency services personnel and some of that cash should be directed at those needs.

Of course we must always have a foreign aid budget but it must be flexible and proportionate to our own economic situation.

Paul Nuttall

North West MEP

UK Independence Party

The views expressed are those of the author of the letter and not those of Oldham Chronicle.