UK flooding: Simon Danczuk accused of peddling Ukip line by calling for foreign aid to be diverted to flood defences
Labour MP echoes Ukip leader Nigel Farage in questioning why money is being sent to Bangladesh when so many flood defences in northern England have failed to protect homes in northern England
![Simon Danczuk has said he is prepared to run as a stalking horse to ensure a leadership race](https://static.independent.co.uk/s3fs-public/thumbnails/image/2015/11/12/21/13-simon-danczuk-get.jpg)
Your support helps us to tell the story
As your White House correspondent, I ask the tough questions and seek the answers that matter.
Your support enables me to be in the room, pressing for transparency and accountability. Without your contributions, we wouldn't have the resources to challenge those in power.
Your donation makes it possible for us to keep doing this important work, keeping you informed every step of the way to the November election
![Head shot of Andrew Feinberg](https://static.independent.co.uk/static-assets/support-us/andrew-feinberg.png)
Andrew Feinberg
White House Correspondent
Labour MP Simon Danczuk has been accused of peddling a Ukip line by calling for overseas aid to be diverted to funding flood defences in the UK.
The Rochdale MP questioned why money was being sent to countries like Bangladesh when so many flood defences in northern England have failed to guard cities and homes from the heavy downpour over the Christmas weekend that has caused rivers to burst their banks.
His call was echoed by Nigel Farage, who said we must “start putting our own people first”.
Britain is one of few rich countries in the world to commit to the United Nations target of spending 0.7 per cent of its GDP on foreign aid every year.
The commitment has seen overseas aid spending rise to £12bn due to economic growth.
Speaking on BBC Manchester, Mr Danczuk said: "Why do we spend money in Bangladesh when it needs spending in Great Britain?
“What we need to do is to sort out the problems which are occurring here and not focus so much on developing countries. That has to be our priority."
He was immediately accused of sounding like a Ukip politician:
On Monday lunchtime David Cameron visited flood-hit York, where he has come under fire for neglecting investment in flood defences.
Local newspaper editorials accused him of prioritising areas of the South with "state-of-the-art flood defences" and claimed the "completely avoidable" levels of flooding witnessed by Yorkshire would not be allowed to happen in London and the South East.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments