Cllr Fallon-Khan

Brighton & Hove City Council Deputy Leader, Cllr. Ayas Fallon-Khan, has poured scorn on Labour Party claims that the Conservatives are not committed to helping the world’s poorest nations through international aid.

Labour Group Leader Cllr. Gill Mitchell and International Development Secretary Douglas Alexander MP have claimed that the Conservative Party’s new policy on overseas aid was nothing more than “changed branding”. Labour also claimed that the Conservatives would not support the new draft International Development Spending Bill, introduced by Gordon Brown in the recent Queen’s Speech. This bill seeks to enshrine into legislation the UN target of raising international development aid to 0.7% of national income by 2013.

Cllr. Fallon-Khan said:
“Labour are once again showing how out of touch they are! Claims that we are somehow against tackling global poverty are frankly laughable. Indeed, David Cameron has put it at the heart of his political agenda from day one. He has already pledged to meet the UN target of spending 0.7% of national income as aid by 2013 and he has also earmarked the International Aid budget (alongside the NHS budget) for protection from possible future public spending decreases – something which the Labour Party hasn’t done.”

Fallon-Khan went on to say that under David Cameron the Conservatives have also pledged to get better value for money from this increased international aid budget and that a future Conservative Government would:

Set up an Independent Aid Watchdog to scrutinise the impact and outcomes of British aid.

Move towards Results-Based Aid, where money is handed to governments only once development results have been achieved - rather than giving all the money up front based on promises that it will be spent well.

Focus our aid on the countries where it will make the biggest difference.

Spend £500 million a year to save lives by tackling malaria.

Empower people in poor countries by giving them more control over how aid is spent.

Strengthen public support for aid by giving British people a vote over where and how some of their aid is spent.

Re-emphasise wealth creation through business development and trade.

Cllr. Fallon-Khan added:
“Whenever Gordon Brown is confronted with a problem, his default reaction is to try and pass a law to solve it. This is a ridiculous approach. Passing a law to eradicate world poverty or our vast burden of public debt won’t work, any more than passing a law to abolish rainy days and Mondays will do! And what will happen if they fail to meet the targets set in these bills? Will Mr. Brown be prosecuted for breaking his own law with Lord Mandelson led away as an accessory to the crime? We say, stop wasting time with all this political posturing and just get on and do it!”

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