YP Letters: UK's aid for other countries is a source of pride

From: Gertrude Asumadu, Cross Gates, Leeds.
Penny Mordaunt is the International Development Secretary.Penny Mordaunt is the International Development Secretary.
Penny Mordaunt is the International Development Secretary.

IN their letter, AJA Smith calls the amount of aid the UK gives to developing countries ‘reckless’ (The Yorkshire Post, June 2), though, in my opinion, there is nothing ‘reckless’ about the UK keeping its promises.

I disagree with the main argument that ‘since Britain is hugely indebted’, reducing or cutting aid completely will improve our economy.

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This claim is unfounded, 
as is the claim that we borrow money to pay for this aid.

While the UK is the only G7 country to honour our commitment to meet the 0.7 per cent of GNI – not GDP – in aid, this is not a bad thing, and it is up to the other countries to raise their standards, not for us drop ours.

If anything, it should be considered a source of pride that the UK fulfils our promises, especially regarding important issues such as fighting against poverty and inequality.

As someone who has lived most of her life in Ghana, Africa, I can testify the impact of foreign aid on the local economies, as such rendering your correspondent’s argument void.

We all want a fairer world, and aid makes this happen.