Yvette Cooper has sparked backlash by pledging millions of pounds of taxpayer money to fund green schemes overseas. It comes despite the Labour government slashing the foreign aid budget by 40%.
The Foreign Secretary has confirmed the UK will dish out £6billion on International Climate Finance projects over the next three years. She has vowed to maintain “climate and nature” as a priority to “protect people and prevent future crises”. Ms Cooper also aims to generate an additional £6.7billion in “climate and nature positive investments”.
As reported by the Daily Mail, the government previously said it would cut funds from the overseas budget to finance an increase in defence spending by 2027. However, aid groups criticised the cuts as “reckless” with Labour MP Sarah Champion warning the approach would “make the whole world more vulnerable”.
Some previous aid projects included spening £99million of taxpayers’ money on encouraging families in Africa and Asia to cook with electricity rather than firewood.
Reform MP Robert Jenrick said: “When money is tight it is insane to waste such large amounts of money on dubious projects thousands of miles away.” He added: “A Reform UK Government would slash our aid budget to a bare minimum and put our own people first.”
The government has now committed £1.4billion a year to help countries involved in war. These include Ukraine, Palestine, Sudan and Lebanon while other nations, such as Somalia and Afghanistan, will see aid reduced.
Ms Cooper told MPs on Thursday: “We have looked hard at what we prioritise and how we work, using the challenge of a reduced budget to find solutions that increase impact, focusing on what secures best value for money for taxpayers while reflecting UK values and the UK national interest, and what will seize new opportunities to bring real change to people’s lives.”
She added that the UK will start reducing funding for G20 countries such as China and India. An expert has warned that the move could result in more migrants arriving in the UK.
International Development Committee chairman Sarah Champion said: “As the former Home Secretary well knows, we will see people come to our shores to seek sanctuary and opportunity.”