NEW data from the House of Commons Library reveals how small European nations are out-performing the UK on aid spending.
The research shows how Denmark, Luxembourg and Norway — all independent countries with populations similar to or smaller than Scotland — have consistently spent larger percentages of their Gross National Income (GNI) than the UK since 2000.
This year Sweden, which has only around 15% of the UK’s population, spent 1.6% the level the UK contributed in terms of percent of GNI.
It earmarked 1.13% of its GNI on helping the world's poorest.
Neighbouring Norway set aside 1.11% on this work, with Luxembourg contributing 1.02% and Denmark using 0.73% for efforts to fight hunger and disease abroad.
The findings come after the Tory government moved to slash the UK's international aid budget from the legal threshold of 0.7% to 0.5% in a move that aid agencies say will cost lives.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak says the cost of Covid means the UK can't afford to maintain the 0.7% rate, despite a pledge to the electorate to maintain this at the last general election.
The move comes as all other G7 countries increase the amount they spend on international aid in response to the Covid-19 pandemic and the Scottish Government increases its international aid budget by 50%, also doubling its Climate Justice Fund.
The Conservative move is so divisive that ex-PM Theresa May joined the Tory rebellion that hoped to can the cut, which is fiercely opposed by rival parties including the SNP. Its foreign affairs spokesperson Alyn Smith MP says the new comparative figures shows the role Scotland could play on the international stage if it had the full powers of independence.
Smith said: “The fact that Norway, Denmark and Luxembourg — all with populations similar to or smaller than Scotland — have all consistently contributed more towards international aid than the UK shows just what Scotland could do on the world stage as an independent country.
“Scotland has also shown it is on a completely different trajectory to the UK. Whilst the UK is cutting aid, Scotland is increasing their contribution to it, and roundly rejected the brutal cuts proposed by Westminster, which have now sadly been voted through.
"Scotland's values are increasingly under attack at Westminster. It's clear that the only way to build a strong, fair and equal recovery, and live up to our potential globally, is for Scotland to become an independent country.”
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