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Celebrity activist Bob Geldof has urged Boris Johnson to change his mind on cutting Britain’s foreign aid budget by £4bn. Last year, ministers decided to temporarily reduce spending on overseas aid from 0.7 percent of national income to 0.5 percent in light of the pandemic. Mr Geldof told BBC’s Andrew Marr that the cut was “cruel” and “emasculating” for the UK ahead of the G7 summit this week.
Mr Geldof said: “Prime Minister, what is this about? You are going to meet your peers this week at the G7, this is something we lead on.
“Go in there with your head held high. I don’t think he is set on this yet.”
He added: “Left and right in Parliament there is a coalition to stop them cutting the aid and beating up the poor.
“We don’t do that here! We don’t take that piece of bread from that child in Yemen or snatch the only textbook they’ve had in their life.
“It is not in our interests to do that. It’s a political misfire. It emasculates us. It neuters our diplomacy.”
He sparked outrage on Twitter with his remarks, with one viewer saying he had “lost the plot”.
Another labelled him “the self titled expert on foreign aid”.
Others criticised him for “lecturing” the country on foreign aid during an economic crisis.
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