Switching cash from aid kitty to help flood victims ‘false choice’

Mr Duncan said the money ringfenced within the commitment to spend 0.7 per cent of national income on overseas aid has to be spent on official development assistance as defined by the OECD and so cannot be released in the UK.

Critics of the Government’s aid commitment have in recent weeks called for it to be cut in order to divert the money to those affected by the severe weather in Britain.

Tory Philip Davies (Shipley) accused the Government of treating people abroad more favourably than those at home.

But Mr Duncan said it was not possible to divert money from the development budget.

The Minister said: “I quite understand what you are saying and fully share your wish to give proper assistance to those in the UK affected by flooding.

“The international development budget within our 0.7 per cent commitment has to be used for official development assistance as defined by the OECD. It is not possible for us to redefine ODA in a way that would allow it to be transferred immediately to domestic purposes and the assumption in your question is therefore a false choice.”

During international development questions, Mr Davies had asked: “At a time when money is tight and your department’s budget is the only one not under any financial pressure, surely when people in the UK need aid from a natural disaster the aid budget should be made available to them?”