Britain threatens to pull the plug on £1bn EU aid in the event of a no-deal Brexit

BRUSSELS was warned that Britain will pull the plug on the £1bn a year of foreign aid it gives the EU in an event of a '˜no deal' Brexit.
By The Newsroom
Published 23rd Aug 2018, 23:04 BST
Updated 3rd Sep 2018, 12:16 BST
Penny Mordaunt, Portsmouth North MP and international development secretary, issued the warning to the EU.Penny Mordaunt, Portsmouth North MP and international development secretary, issued the warning to the EU.
Penny Mordaunt, Portsmouth North MP and international development secretary, issued the warning to the EU.

Portsmouth North MP Penny Mordaunt said the funding would only continue if British aid groups can take part in EU-run projects.

British aid organisations currently run around a fifth of the European schemes. But officials in Brussels have been accused of trying to put them off bidding for future cash by warning they would lose funding if there is no Brexit deal.

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International development secretary Ms Mordaunt today wrote to UK-based groups saying if that happened, ministers would simply stop spending its foreign aid budget through Brussels and give it directly to the charities so they do miss out.

Speaking to The News ahead of the announcement, Ms Mordaunt said what the EU was trying to do was '˜ridiculous' and '˜morally awful'.

She added: '˜Projects delivering life-saving care or protection will have the rugged pulled from under them. It's quite wrong and is outrageous.'

The Tory MP said Britain was eager to work with Brussels after Brexit but said that arrangements like this could not be tolerated by the UK.

Related topics:BritainBrexitPenny Mordaunt