Guess who doesn’t really believe in Britain's aid budget? The person now responsible for it -- Priti Patel.
She wants money meant for helping the world’s poorest oiling the wheels of business instead. Charities and aid groups can’t believe it. Right now, British aid is helping deal with poverty. It shouldn’t be used to boost companies’ profits.
Priti Patel hasn’t had time to start diverting funds -- not yet. If we all take her plans on together, we can smother the idea. But we need to act quickly, before she starts.
Sign the petition to Priti Patel: use all of Britain’s aid budget for alleviating poverty, not doing businesses a favour.
Priti Patel called for her whole aid department to be abolished just a few years ago. Back then she said we should foster “private sector investment opportunities” instead. So it’s no surprise that now she’s in charge, she wants to “challenge and change the global aid system”. We know what she’s getting at -- aid might not always be perfect, but giving the money to corporations to use instead won’t make it better.
UK aid is highly targeted to effectively eliminate poverty. But the aid budget has been under a huge amount of political pressure from politicians and groups who never believed in Britain doing it’s bit to tackle world poverty. If we let Priti Patel chip away at it now, then who knows what happens next. The door would be open for even more funds diverted, or big cuts.
That doesn’t have to happen. But we need to make enough noise to stop Priti Patel in her tracks. So if you believe in Britain helping others and in beating poverty - not subsidising corporations - then sign the petition now.
Tell Priti Patel all of Britain’s aid budget should be used to tackle poverty, and not to divert any money to boosting business or trade.
More information
My fury at our wasted foreign aid: International development secretary Priti Patel pledges a major overhaul of the £12billion budget
The Daily Mail. 13 September 2016.
The Daily Mail. 13 September 2016.
The new International Development Secretary wanted to scrap what is now her department
The Independent. 14 July 2016.
The Independent. 14 July 2016.
UK NGOs raise concerns about Priti Patel's new approach to foreign aid
The Guardian. 14 September 2016.
The Guardian. 14 September 2016.