Britain to 'leverage' £11bn Foreign Aid budget to build new trade deals after Brexit

[-:Undertaker:-]

Yet more good news.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016...w-trade-deals/

Britain to ‘leverage’ £11bn of foreign aid to build new trade deals after Brexit

Priti Patel MP

Britain will "leverage" its £11 billion foreign aid budget to build a series of new trade deals as it leaves the European Union, the Telegraph has learned.

Priti Patel, the new International Development Secretary and a prominent Leave campaign supporter, and her ministers will use meetings with foreign leaders from countries that receive foreign aid to "open the door" to new deals.

While rules bar Britain from explicitly tying trade deals to foreign aid, Mrs Patel plans to use the department's budget in Britain's "national interest" to help with the Brexit process.

She has already held meetings with Liam Fox, the International Trade Secretary, to discuss how they can use Britain's foreign aid budget to bolster trade deals.

"Britain's international aid commitments mean it gets fantastic access to foreign leaders all round the world," a Whitehall source said.

"We can leverage existing relationships to strike trade deals. The Department for International Development (Dfid) can be used to improve Britain's standing in the world. It will be a completely fresh way of looking at Britain's aid budget.

She said: "I am delighted to have been appointed International Development Secretary by the Prime Minister and will make sure we invest UK aid firmly in our national interest, while keeping the promises we’ve made to the world’s poorest people.

“Successfully leaving the European Union will require a more outward-looking Britain than ever before, deepening our international partnerships to secure our place in the world by supporting economic prosperity, stability and security overseas.

"That’s why my department will be working across government, with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the new Department for International Trade, the Home Office and others.

Holy hell, another outbreak of common sense.

Now I would still scrap the entire budget and department but I have always said if we are going to have an aid budget then at least use it for political or military purposes that benefit this country rather than hand it over with no strings attached as we (stupidly) currently do and as the EU does.

Kenya requires £300m for water purification projects? Sure, but we want a lease of your naval bases and lower tariffs. And so on.

It's strange though isn't it. It's starting to feel like everything the government does isn't upside down. Thoughts?

[AgnesIO]

Our Foreign Aid budget is already used to gain scouts from other countries...