London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Jul 12, 2025

‘Turn off the tap!’ Boris Johnson ordered to stop massive taxpayer handouts to China

‘Turn off the tap!’ Boris Johnson ordered to stop massive taxpayer handouts to China

Boris Johnson should stop foreign aid payments to China , according to a poll of Express.co.uk readers, after it emerged a staggering amount of UK taxpayers' money was being sent to Beijing.
The UK economy is facing its worst financial crash in modern history due to the coronavirus pandemic and it has emerged £71million of taxpayers’ money was handed to China in just one year. Relations between the UK and China have become strained ever since Beijing pushed through with its controversial new Hong Kong security law.

A huge 98 percent (1,651) of readers think the payments should be stopped and voted 'yes'.

Just one percent (27) of participants think the UK should continue to make contributions and voted 'no'.

Meanwhile, a further one percent (five) remained unsure and voted 'don’t know'.

A number of Express.co.uk readers let their feeling known in the comments section of this website.

One user said: “Turn off the tap, pull out the plug. That goes for all foreign aid as well.

“Just send aid on a case by case basis and only then in dire emergencies.”

A second reader wrote: “I do not know who gives out this money to China, I know one thing they need to see a shrink.”

A third said: “This is what needs to stop for good with us in debt and we are still paying out no wonder I'm still paying tax on a pension.”

Meanwhile a fourth simply said: “Stop money being wasted on China.”

The astonishing figure was published in the Department for International Development’s annual report.

It found in 2018, the £71.6million payment was sent to China either directly from the UK or via the European Union or United Nations.

The money was being used for a range of purposes including training primary school teachers, combating illegal trade in wildlife and helping Chinese businesses.

In light of the coronavirus pandemic, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said £3billion would be cut from the aid budget next year.

But Mr Raab insists the UK will still meet its commitment to spend 0.7 percent of gross national income (GNI) on international development.

Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith has condemned the spending and ordered an inquiry.

He said: “It is utter madness that we are busy trying to improve the prospect for business in a country that is breaking every rule in the book.

“China is the second-largest economy in the world, and it is winning business all over the world by undercutting firms in the West.

“It has the largest sovereign fund in the world, and it sells more than it imports. Meanwhile, we are helping these Chinese businesses.

“This makes it all the more urgent that we have a strategic review of the entirety of our relationship with and our dependency on China, including this sort of nonsense spending on aid.”
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Reparations argument crushed
Rainmaker CEO Says Cloud Seeding Paused Before Deadly Texas Floods
A 92-year-old woman, who felt she doesn't belong in a nursing home, escaped the death-camp by climbing a gate nearly 8 ft tall
French Journalist Acquitted in Controversial Case Involving Brigitte Macron
Elon Musk’s xAI Targets $200 Billion Valuation in New Fundraising Round
Kraft Heinz Considers Splitting Off Grocery Division Amid Strategic Review
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
EU Proposes New Tax on Large Companies to Boost Budget
Trump Imposes 35% Tariffs on Canadian Imports Amid Trade Tensions
Junior Doctors in the UK Prepare for Five-Day Strike Over Pay Disputes
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Biden’s Doctor Pleads the Fifth to Avoid Self-Incrimination on President’s Medical Fitness
Grok Chatbot Faces International Backlash for Antisemitic Content
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
×