Rupert Lowe said Reform would slash foreign aid and instead prioritise British taxpayers and pensioners.
Rachel Reeves outlines likelihood of tax rises in October
A Reform UK MP has criticised foreign aid spending after new figures showed the UK handed out £15.3billion last year.
The total is an increase of £2.5billion from the year before, according to the figures from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).
It means Britain spent 0.58% of gross national income (GNI) on overseas aid in 2023.
Rupert Lowe, who represents Great Yarmouth, said: “These figures today once again show how badly the Tories governed in office. They prioritised money for foreign aid over British people.
“It’s blindingly obvious that Labour won’t put an end to this scandal too, indeed it looks like it will only get worse.
“Only Reform UK are serious about cutting foreign aid and prioritising that money towards hard-working British taxpayers and our pensioners.”
Nigel Farage‘s party pledged to slash overseas aid by 50% and carry out a review into its effectiveness in its election manifesto.
The figures show the top three recipients of foreign aid were Ukraine, which got £250m; Ethiopia, which received £164million; and Afghanistan with £115million.
Some £4.2billion – almost a third of the total – was spent on was spent on support to refugees or asylum seekers in the UK or other countries.
Rupert Lowe said Reform was committed to cutting foreign aid (Image: Getty)
It comes as Labour has pledged to restore foreign aid spending to 0.7% of GNI when fiscal circumstances allow.
The target, set by the United Nations, was reduced by the previous Tory government to 0.5% in 2021 due to the economic impact of the Covid pandemic.
The FCDO was contacted for comment.
