Theresa May bans MP Priti Patel from pulling UK out of a UN body that wasted millions of pounds of British taxpayers’ cash
Move would send powerful signal that the Government will no longer tolerate UK aid cash being mis-spent, Patel argued
THERESA May has banned her Development Secretary from pulling Britain out of a UN body for mis-spending millions in British aid cash.
Priti Patel also planned to cut off all funds from UNESCO - the United Nation’s cultural arm - after it ignored years of warnings from the Department For International Development to stop wasting a £15m a year handout from taxpayers.
The dramatic move would send a powerful signal that the government will no longer tolerate taxpayers’ cash being wasted, Ms Patel argued.
But it sparked a bitter Cabinet clash when Boris Johnson tried to stop it, The Sun can also reveal.
The Foreign Secretary insisted that pulling out of UNESCO will send a bad signal to the rest of the world that Britain is shrinking its global role after the Brexit vote.
The PM was forced to step into the row and has backed Boris, issuing a withering slap down to Ms Patel.
A senior government figure said: “Priti is adamant we have to get tough with bodies like UNESCO and that means walking away from them very publicly.
“Boris and the Foreign Office think it’s not that simple and it would hurt Britain’s international reputation.
“No10 went crazy when the found out, because Theresa’s priority is maintaining good relations with other world leaders to get a good Brexit deal.
“So Priti got a major wrap over the knuckles and is smarting about it.”
A No10 source added: “UNESCO is a valuable and respected institution. We have no plans to change our relationship with it”.
As well as funding global educational programmes, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization also oversees world heritage sites.
The Development Secretary – who has vowed to get tough on how Britain’s vast £12bn aid budget is spent - wanted to pull the plug on the Paris-based body in two weeks time when her ministry publishes its long-awaited multilateral aid review into how well billions have been spent by big organisations.
There was also anger last month when the Paris-based body took the controversial decision to recognise Palestine as an independent country and admit it as its newest member.
The US cut its funding to UNESCO on Monday as an automatic reaction to its recognition of Palestine.
It is a legal requirement for the Washington DC government to stop paying out to any UN agency that recognizes the territory as a separate state.