CREWE and Nantwich MP Kieran Mullan says Covid-19 pressures means it is a sound decision to trim the country's foreign aid budget.

The local MP has defended the Chancellor Rishi Sunak's decision to temporarily reduce the aid budget from 0.7 per cent to 0.5 per cent of national income as part of the government's Spending Review.

The Chancellor says that "at a time of unprecedented crisis, government must make tough choices", although Labour MPs and some Conservative MPs have slammed the decision.

The Shadow Minister for International Development Preet Gill said the reduction would leave the UK's global reputation "lying in tatters".

In a question to Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, Mr Mullan said: "I deeply respect arguments against this decision, but will the Foreign Secretary agree that to describe the enormous amounts of taxpayers' money we will continue to spend as "dismal", "unforgivable", and some of the other things we have heard actually damages public support for this cause in the long run."

The Foreign Secretary said MPs "need to make sure that everything we do on our aid budget, development and our foreign policy abroad attracts and commands [our constituents] confidence".

After the debate in the House of Commons, the Crewe and Nantwich MP said: "The Covid-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the UK economy which has meant this government has had to make some difficult decisions.

"The language used by some MPs to describe even a reduced level of aid spending is an insult to the UK taxpayers paying for it. This reduction is not a "betrayal", as some members would suggest.

"Even with this cut, we remain a world leading aid donor. I think for Labour and others to attack the government for doing what I think the public support in this way is disrespectful to the remaining generosity of the British public.

"Right now, it is reasonable to trim what we spend."