Patel threatens to cut the UK overseas aid budget

Britain's new international development secretary Priti Patel has said that multinational aid funding from the UK may be cut unless it provides better value for money.

You will find more statistics at Statista

And she went further by suggesting that parts of the aid budget might be offered up as a bargaining chip as the UK navigates through the complex maze of new trade negotiations in a post-Brexit world. She is quoted as saying:

"Our focus is poverty reduction – but that doesn’t mean we should exclude the whole area of trade and trade opportunities."

The UK Government has met the 0.7% aid target since 2013. Since 2015, the target has been legally binding. Is this now under threat from the newly formed Cabinet?

According to data released by the OECD, only Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Luxembourg and the United Arab Emirates also spent more than 0.7% of their national income in aid in 2013. About 1.6% of UK public spending is dedicated to aid which in 2014 amounted to just under £12 billion.