Rushanara Ali hits out over David Cameron’s foreign aid spending

Rushanara Ali, MP for Bethnal Green and Bow, has urged prime minister David Cameron to continue investing in foreign aid.

Ms Ali – who is in the shadow team for the department of international development - hit out at Mr Cameron after he mooted diverting aid cash to the defence budget.

She expressed “deep concern” that the government is failing in its duty to help the poor abroad.

“He should be making a strong case against the militarisation of aid. Instead, he is showing weak leadership on this issue in a clear attempt to placate his Tory backbenchers”, she said.

“Cameron’s empty rhetoric on international development has failed to detoxify the Tory brand.”