The UK Independence Party (Ukip) has pledged to slash Britain’s overseas aid spending by more than two-thirds and abolish the “wasteful” Department for International Development (DfID) if it wins next month’s general election.

Why should politicians care that most Britons think too much tax revenue goes on aid when they can pose as noble saviours of the world? A recent poll by the respected Chatham House think tank found that only 11 per cent of voters want this spending to keep rising, while more than half want it to decrease.

The Former Chancellor Lord Lawson has spoken out against plans to tie future governments to spending commitments on foreign aid. The Tory grandee said proposals to make all future administrations ‘gold plate’ Britain’s annual foreign aid budget would not help people in poor countries, the Express reports.