Priti Patel hits back after Boris Johnson tries to bring Britain’s aid budget under his control – claiming he cannot even tackle waste in his own department
In a thinly-veiled dig she said government departments had to 'raise their game' and be more accountable to taxpayers
PRITI Patel hit back at Boris Johnson over his attempts to bring Britain’s aid budget under his control – claiming he cannot even tackle waste in his own Department.
In a thinly-veiled dig, the the International Development Secretary said government departments who manage a quarter of Britain’s £13billion budget had to “raise their game” and be more accountable to taxpayers.
And at a fringe event this evening she shot down Mr Johnson’s plot to grab the foreign aid budget from the Department for International Development - insisting: “It is government policy for Dfid to be an independent department.”
In her speech to conference Ms Patel said: “Where legitimate concerns have been raised over poor spending, I have taken action.
“And where other Government Departments need to improve their aid spending, I am challenging them to raise their game and be accountable to UK taxpayers.”
It came as Ms Patel also unveiled a raft of new measures to clamp down on fat cat contractors tasked with spending the foreign aid budget - pledging to “end the crony-market where a handful of suppliers win contract after contract”.
She said it was time to stamp out excessive rewards for the middle-men who implement aid contracts - and encourage free market reform instead.
The measures include a code of conduct with legally enforceable sanctions to end unethical behaviour, new clauses in contracts allowing the Government to inspect costs and an annual performance league of suppliers.
She will also announce cuts in red tape to boost competition and a call to stop large suppliers including smaller businesses to win bids, but then dropping them from the contact.
Ms Patel said: "Today, I am announcing the conclusion of a comprehensive review of DFID's relationships with suppliers.
"I am setting out tough reforms that will encourage the private sector to work with DFID and end the appalling practice of fat cats profiteering from the aid budget.
"I am introducing a tough code of conduct, with legally enforceable sanctions for non-compliance, to root out unethical behaviour."
Ms Patel said she is taking the "toughest approach in Whitehall to crack down on contract costs".
"I'm cutting red tape and simplifying the bidding process to help small British firms win with DFID and create jobs up and down the UK," she said.
"On my watch I will end the crony market where a handful of suppliers would win contract after contract, which blocked innovation and competition.
"I will always put the interests of taxpayers and the world's poor ahead of consultants and middle-men."
Ms Patel also dedicated part of her speech to accuse Jeremy Corbyn of launching “a wave of anti-Semitism, bullying and abuse against anyone who does not subscribe to their extremist views”.