21/02/2013

PM 'Very Open' To Idea Of Aid Fund Being Used By MoD

Money from the UK's £10bn aid budget could be spent on peacekeeping and other defence-related projects, David Cameron has said.

The government is said to be considering the option, which would see funds diverted from the Department for International Development to the Ministry of Defence.

Facing calls from some Tories to cut aid spending, the prime minister told reporters, as he returned from a trade visit to India, that security and stability were often needed before development could take place.

However, critics of the idea have said that aid money should not be used to compensate for defence cuts.

The PM said he was very open to the idea of the Department for International Development (DfID) sharing more of its money with the Ministry of Defence (MoD)

"I think we have to demonstrate that the DfID budget is spent wisely," he said. "It is obviously true that if we can help deliver security and help provide stability and help with stabilisation, that is the basis from which all development can proceed."

(H)


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