Rejected petition: Make it illegal to fund overseas aid through UK government borrowing
Rejected on
We call on Parliament to pass a law preventing any UK government from giving money or financial aid to other countries when doing so requires borrowing.
Overseas aid should only be provided from a budget surplus, after domestic spending commitments have been met, and must not exceed that surplus.
We believe the UK should help other countries only when it can afford to do so without increasing public debt. Generosity abroad should not place an additional financial burden on taxpayers or future generations.
If we have to borrow the money, we cannot afford to give it away.
Why was this petition rejected?
It’s not clear what the petition is asking the UK Government or Parliament to do.
The UK Government cannot legally bind a future government to a specific spending decision.
We could accept a petition calling for the UK Government to stop all overseas aid until there is a budget surplus, if that's something you'd like to see.
We only reject petitions that don’t meet the petition standards.