'Stop sending aid to China and spend it on defence'

SENIOR Tories have warned Britain must stop giving foreign aid and business investment to the "dangerous" Chinese state.

- Sam Lister

Increasing aggression towards the West from Beijing, along with Iran and Russia, poses the greatest security threat in a generation and must be tackled head-on, MPs say.

They called for an end to aid to China and the repatriation of key industries to Britain.

Former immigration minister Robert Jenrick said it was "ludicrous" that the UK sends hundreds of millions of pounds to China and other nuclear powers.

Figures show Beijing received £48million in UK aid in 2021-22. And Mr Jenrick said in the Mail On Sunday: "We have no choice but to increase defence spending to 3% of GDP to deliver the uplift we need to defend ourselves."