Tuesday 15 November 2022 08:47 AM Government 'has overspent foreign aid budget by £1billion because of money ... trends now
Ministers have broken their own cap on foreign aid spending by a billion pounds because so much cash is being ploughed into helping asylum seekers in the UK, it emerged today.
Foreign aid spending is currently capped at 0.5 per cent of GDP - some £11bn - having been reduced from 0.7 per cent by Rishi Sunak when he was chancellor.
But money being spent housing Channel migrants, plus refugees from Ukraine and Afghanistan, means that the spending will be 5.5 per cent of GDP this year, the BBC reported.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), which controls the foreign aid budget, has been forced to accept the extra cost incurred by the Home Office.
Last month it was revealed the UK is now spending more of its international development budget at home than in poor developing countries because of the cost of housing refugees.
It came as Rishi Sunak today refused to guarantee that Channel migrant numbers will come down despite the UK handing over £63million a year under a new deal.
The PM dodged any firm promises as he hailed 'progress' with Home Secretary Suella Braverman sealing a pact that will see a 40 per cent boost in the number of officers patrolling beaches.
Money being spend housing Channel migrants, plus refugees from Ukraine and Afghanistan, means that the spending will be 5.5 per cent of GDP this year, the BBC reported.
The PM dodged any firm promises as he hailed 'progress' with Home Secretary Suella Braverman sealing a pact that will see a 40 per cent boost in the number of officers patrolling beaches.
British staff will also be embedded in French control rooms for the first time after the number of people making the perilous journey to the UK so far this year topped 40,000.
Further measures signed off in Paris include an investment in CCTV and dog detection teams to keep tabs on ports and plans to equip officers with drones and night vision capabilities.
Meanwhile, Britain and France have agreed to step up co-operation on the issue with European partners, with a meeting of the 'Calais Group' of neighbouring countries to be scheduled as soon as possible.
However, despite the extra cash there will not be joint patrols between French and UK officers after Paris apparently vetoed the idea. And no targets are being set for reducing the flows across the border.
Campaigners and border experts said
