UKIP vows to axe TV licence fee and end foreign aid 'bonanza'
The party says it will cut international development spending by 拢10bn a year, saying the "foreign aid bonanza has got to stop".
Wednesday 3 May 2017 14:17, UK
UKIP has promised to get rid of the TV licence fee and cut the annual foreign aid budget by 拢10bn.
MEP Patrick Flynn, the party's economics spokesman, said the licence fee policy was about ending the mandatory nature of the levy rather than saving viewers' money.
Mr O'Flynn said monies currently raised by the fee could be replaced by a mixture of subscriptions, advertising and a public service broadcasting fund.
He said: "The point is not particularly to save money, the point is it will no longer be compulsory, so the individual consumers would decide if they wanted to spend £147, or thereabouts, a year on the BBC, or on something else."
Mr O'Flynn said UKIP wanted to end the "foreign aid bonanza" by cutting international development spending from 0.7% of GDP to 0.2%.
This would reduce the figure from around £14bn a year to roughly £4bn.
He said the cross-party consensus on foreign aid was "celebrity driven" with politicians seeking the approval of stars such as Bono and Bob Geldof.
"The foreign aid bonanza has got to stop and the UKIP is the only party making the case for that in this election," he said.
"At about £14bn total aid spending is more than the Home Office spends on policing, border control, and anti-terror measures combined."
UKIP said there was no proof the aid limited migration and little evidence it helped boost economic growth in recipient countries.
Mr O'Flynn also promised UKIP would get rid of green levies and taxes, which he said would save households about £100 a year on their energy bills.
The Liberal Democrats attacked UKIP's plans, with foreign affairs spokesman Tom Brake saying: "UKIP would cheerfully see a child starve to death if it won them some cheap, snarling clip on the evening news."