TO conservative row from one shore to the other Porcelain erupted last night when a report claimed that UK aid has been funding forced abortions sanctioned by Beijing.
Senior Tory MP Tim Loughton has called on the government to “urgently end” UK assistance to China following an inquiry by the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC).
It said the main inquiry, due to be released this week, “exposes” a scandal that, despite good intentions, UK aid had directly or indirectly helped finance “forced abortions in China”.
Last night, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) insisted that “no UK aid funds forced abortion practices in China.” But Mr Loughton vowed to use the report’s findings in Parliament “to pressure the FCDO to urgently end UK aid to China and stop funding multinational organizations aiding genocidal policies.”
The report found that coerced or forced abortions were occurring on an industrial scale in China.
Senior Conservative MP Tim Loughton called on the government to “urgently end” UK assistance to China following an inquiry by the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (File photo)
In Xinjiang province, where China is accused of genocide against the Uyghur people, the population growth rate collapsed between 2015 and 2018 by more than 70% and in some areas dropped to zero.
The SPUC report acknowledged that the government had pledged to end aid to China. But he said that in 2019-20 the UK donated £82m to the world’s second-largest economy and £80m to two international bodies that have supported family planning and reproductive services, including abortions in China. .
He said that in 2020-21, estimates suggested more than £60m of aid was given.
The report coincides with a SPUC poll showing that by more than two to one, the public opposes Britain funding abortion services abroad.
SPUC Executive Director Michael Robinson called the report’s findings “a slap in the face to the generosity of hard-pressed taxpayers who expect aid to help and support pregnant women, not be used for forced or coerced abortions.” .
Government sources said the UK provided “assistance to trusted multilateral organizations to help women and girls gain control of their bodies”.