Priti Patel demands global chiefs axe ban on £13billion aid budget helping isles affected by Hurricane Irma
The International Development Secretary wrote to Paris-based OECD calling for an 'urgent' review of the curb
FURIOUS MINISTERS yesterday demanded global chiefs rip up rules preventing Britain from using its £13billion aid budget on hurricane relief.
International Development Secretary Priti Patel wrote a stinging letter to the Paris-based OECD – insisting on an “urgent” review of the rules.
And in a rare public intervention, Downing Street said the Prime Minister was “frustrated” by the straightjacket imposed on the UK.
It followed outrage on Wednesday that Britain cannot use its aid budget on the Hurricane Irma clean up – as the British Virgin Isles and Turks and Caicos are judged too WEALTHY.
Last night the OECD signalled it may be willing to bend the guidelines – but only in the coming months.
In a statement the OECD’s Charlotte Petri Gornitza admitted: “The issue of development finance for countries … is due to discussed during coming months. It is important to stay relevant in a world with changing realities”.
In her letter, Priti Patel pointed out the rules were first laid out 40 years ago.
And she said: “We believe that the international rules should take into account the vulnerabilities of small island states.”
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The missive came just hours after the Department for International Development announced £25 million would be spent on help the thousands of Rohingya Muslims driven out of their homes in Burma.
Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson returned from the BVI yesterday to say it was essential the rule book was ripped up.
The row was discussed at the Government’s Cobra meeting on the hurricane response last night.
Speaking alongside his US counterpart Rex Tillerson, the Foreign Secretary said “anyone with an ounce of compassion would want to see spending by our government to get those people back on their feet.”
He said he had “never seen anything like” the destruction- adding it was “reminiscent of images you see from the First World War.”