Foreign Aid to be used "for UK interests"!
 

BJ has just announced that from now on UK Foreign Aid budget of 13bn (FFs!) will now be used to serve "UK interests".

Foreign aid to be shifted to support UK policy, Johnson says - BBC News

Give that man a medal! So for years DFID budget has been used to fund sandal wearing graduates to do the low-level social security work of corrupt evil governments such as Nigeria, Afghanistan and Pakistan, while their politicians line their pockets - and he has just caught on!

I hope that the savings from DFID budget can be used to develop MOD capabilities to help the governments of friendly nations who have been totally overwhelmed by problems that are not of their own causing (particularly earthquakes, climate change).

Does MOD actually have an emergency response coordination department for UK interests overseas?

We'll see. I would love to think it was true but it came out of the mouth of a politician.

Well hopefully that's the Rotary Wing and Multi Engine tactical transport fleet sorted then!

That's what I hoped somebody might reply. And a massive injection of funds for Royal Engineers 23 and 24 regiments.

We might actually have a use for our new carriers.

I doubt if it will mean much change in practice other than trying to remind foreign recipients of aid that this rice or power station etc was paid for by the UK.

Remember, this is a man who told us that we've save £350m a week by coming out of the EU. Which would go to the NHS. Then he denied all knowledge of it.

I thought that it was "only" £1.3 billion! However, the amount is immaterial as, being a cynic, I think that most of the money will be sidetracked to other interests! Somehow (and I wish that I knew how!), we must ensure that the aid money goes where it should! Otherwise we must cease payments!

Bill.

I think you need to move the decimal place. Reccommended 0.7% Of GDP works out at 13.3 billion in Fy16.

Be interesting to see if with one hand the treasury giveth whilst the other takes away...

I sincerely hope we will see a genuine change in the direction of UK aid. BJ recently pledged £400m to NIGERIA. Has the plonnker ever been to Nigeria? Even if it sent to some sandal-wearing DFID-graduates to do good for starving babies - IT WILL BE STOLEN! These people just have no idea how corrupt, venal and self-serving Africans are.

And still whenever I make my regular BALufthansa flights from Abuja to Europe - the outgoing plane is full of fat Nigerian men in First Class, mostly Nigerian men in Business Class, and mostly fat Nigeria pregnant women about to bursting economy class - but the return flight is half empty except for the sandal wearing Oyibos travelling in Business class on DFID/GIZ or equivalent budget.

For British interests read government interests and you will see that nothing is changed.

Spending our money to make them look good and buy influence for their mates.

IMHO if Nigerians worked half as hard at the day job as they do at crooking each other they'd be one of the world's richest nations.

The work ethic is stupendous as is the ambition - and there are some very very clever people about there - it's what they use it for that causes the problems...................

Perhaps he was responding to an email, Trim Stab?

Sorry to be an Eyeore on the first day of the year, but I wouldn’t get excited if I were you - I very strongly doubt this comes with a repeal of the legislation committing us to spend a % of GDP.

I’m not expecting to suddenly see billions appearing in the MOD or NHS accounts, I just see this as a recognition that huge amounts have thus far been wasted on random politically correct schemes and countries who neither want nor need our aid and the end result hasn’t generated any ‘net gains’ for U.K. plc. We will still keep spending that % we are now obliged to, it might just now be spent in a way more in line with the UK’s objectives.

So sorry, I doubt welll be seeing a sudden influx of F-35s, desperately needed warships or any new armoured capabilities for the troops. But do expect to see arguments for how we are now using the aid budget to bolster security (not Defence) through upstream soft power and the like.

The Nigeria remarks are stupendously non-PC and how so correct!

"We'll see. I would love to think it was true but it came out of the mouth of a well-known liar who has twice been sacked for lying."

Fixed your post Brian.

PS In case anyone is interested, he was sacked as a Times journalist for inventing quotes and sacked as a junior cabinet minister for publicly lying about an affair he was having. Not to mention all the other misdemeanors he has got away with.
There are none so blind as those that cannot see.

Should have been fire for lying on the side of a bus.......

Amazing he didn't end up under it when the truth came out!