Seven Things You Didn't Know About UK Overseas Aid

Last year I probably spent over £50 on lattes, nearly £70 on sausage rolls, and, if I'm honest, a few hundred pounds on nights out in Birmingham, not including Jägerbombs. I often spend my Friday afternoons staring longingly into my empty wallet, wondering where it all went wrong. Like many students fresh out of university, the phrase "money well spent" isn't really in my vocabulary.

That's why I was pretty shocked by the release of the Treasury's latest public spending plans for the average Brit. If you earn £30,000, your income tax is divided into a multitude of things with £1,257 spent on health a further £367 on defence and £169 on government administration to name but a few. Scroll right down to the bottom of the list, and you see "overseas aid".

According to my granddad, you'd probably think aid was in the top three things the government spends money on. In fact, for a British taxpayer earning £30,000 a year, just £37 would go on overseas aid. So around 70p a week.

On the 12 September, UK Parliament will debate the International Development Bill which commits to investing just 0.7% of the UK's national income on overseas aid. With the ONE Campaign launching its new campaign, "Say You'll Be There", here are the top 7 (0.7, geddit) things you didn't know about UK foreign aid:

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/billy-hill/uk-overseas-aid_b_5690736.html?utm_hp_ref=uk