THE government is putting geopolitics over fighting poverty in its new aid strategy, charities said today.

The International Development Strategy proposes delivering aid directly to countries rather than through multinational organisations such as the United Nations.  

The switch is intended to give the Foreign Office greater control over how aid money is spent. 

Referring to China, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said that the strategy was aimed at providing an “alternative” to “malign actors” that “treat economics and development as a means of control, using patronage, investment and debt as a form of economic coercion and political power.”

But Oxfam said that the change of strategy dealt a blow to Britain’s position as a global leader in tackling poverty, giving priority to aid for trade and the financialisation of development. 

“It is clearly motivated more by tackling China than tackling poverty,” said the charity’s head of government relations Sam Nadel.

“A key test of this strategy will be whether it equips Britain to address urgent crises in places like east Africa,where 28 million people are facing severe hunger. 

“By gutting its aid budget — and now putting geopolitics above poverty — Britain has fallen short of the challenge.”

Ms Truss also said that the strategy would bring “more countries into the orbit of free-market economies.”

House of Commons international development committee chairwoman Labour MP Sarah Champion responded: “Supporting the poorest in the world should not be conditional on a trade deal or agreeing to investment partnerships.”

She noted that there was also no mention of “replacing the £1.9 billion in funding that would be required to restore spending on gender equality to the level it was in 2020.”

The government slashed aid spending from 0.7 per cent of gross national income to 0.5 per cent, breaking a manifesto promise and cutting £4.5bn from the aid budget.