Foreign aid money spent on finding a mate for endangered fish
Spending review launched after Home Office is accused of spending international aid money on 'nonsense'
The Home Office has launched a review into how the international aid budget is spent after it was revealed that thousands of pounds were being channelled into "frivolous" projects.
An investigation by The Sun exposed that £3,400 in foreign aid money was spent on a programme to find female mates for the endangered Mangarahara cichlid fish in Madagascar.
Other expenditures included:
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
- £13,888 - on a television game show in Ethiopia
- £4,735.23 - for a plaque ceremony in Panama to promote racial equality, attended by UK minister Hugo Swire
- £7,000 - for an anti-litter campaign in Jordan
- £2,042 - on tickets for children to see a production of Hamlet in Haiti
- £970 - for a project to promote the "safe and responsible" use of Facebook in Laos
"Some of those examples are frivolous to say the least," the Foreign Office admitted. "Clearly there are going to have to be some changes to tighten up the approvals and authorisation process."
But it said the "vast majority of aid spending promotes UK prosperity and broader stability" and promised a crackdown on any projects that "cannot show taxpayers' cash is being spent wisely."
Tory MP Philip Davies, a vocal critic of new legislation that requires Britain to spend 0.7 per cent of its annual income on international development, said this "nonsense" was a result of pressure to meet targets.
"Hamlet lessons for Ecuadorians and tracking down a mate for a rare fish would be funny if it wasn't taxpayers' hard-earned cash being used to fund these idiotic projects," he said.
Britain's total overseas budget last year was £12bn and the government insists international aid is used to help an estimated 1.4 billion people around the world living in poverty, says the BBC.
Countries that will receive the most aid from Britain this year:
1. Pakistan: £385.77m
2. Nigeria: £239.86m
3. Sierra Leone: £207.49m
4. Ethiopia: £202.69m
5. Tanzania: £182.27m
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
'People want to understand food — but only to a point'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
How do cash-back apps work and are they worth it?
The Explainer Put a percentage of the amount you spend back in your pocket
By Becca Stanek, The Week US Published
-
Why NATO, Ukraine are nervous about a second Trump presidency
The Explainer A 'radical reorientation' of U.S. policy is possible
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Home Office worker accused of spiking mistress’s drink with abortion drug
Speed Read Darren Burke had failed to convince his girlfriend to terminate pregnancy
By The Week Staff Published
-
In hock to Moscow: exploring Germany’s woeful energy policy
Speed Read Don’t expect Berlin to wean itself off Russian gas any time soon
By The Week Staff Published
-
Were Covid restrictions dropped too soon?
Speed Read ‘Living with Covid’ is already proving problematic – just look at the travel chaos this week
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Inclusive Britain: a new strategy for tackling racism in the UK
Speed Read Government has revealed action plan setting out 74 steps that ministers will take
By The Week Staff Published
-
Sandy Hook families vs. Remington: a small victory over the gunmakers
Speed Read Last week the families settled a lawsuit for $73m against the manufacturer
By The Week Staff Published
-
Farmers vs. walkers: the battle over ‘Britain’s green and pleasant land’
Speed Read Updated Countryside Code tells farmers: ‘be nice, say hello, share the space’
By The Week Staff Published
-
Motherhood: why are we putting it off?
Speed Read Stats show around 50% of women in England and Wales now don’t have children by 30
By The Week Staff Published
-
Anti-Semitism in America: a case of double standards?
Speed Read Officials were strikingly reluctant to link Texas synagogue attack to anti-Semitism
By The Week Staff Published