True madness of Net Zero laid bare as £12.7billion 'climate change foreign aid' bill exposed

On June 24, the Government announced its "International Climate Finance" (ICF) and "Development Finance for Climate and Environment" programmes.

ICF provides official development assistance (ODA) to help countries adapt to climate change and nature loss, which the Government characterised as "the most pressing challenges that we face globally".

The development assistance is used to "pursue green-growth pathways", "access clean energy", "reduce deforestation and protect nature", "build green infrastructure" and "increase capacity for climate adaptation and resilience".

Investment for the programme came from four Government departments - the Foreign Office, Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the now-disbanded Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.

Funds committed to ICF alone are £6billion, while Development Finance for Climate and Environment are worth another £6.7billion for the three years from 2026/27 to 2028/29.

The scale of foreign aid spent on climate change, £12.7billion, is revealed by the graph shared exclusively to GB News by Facts4EU.

Climate change sent to 'developing nations' is depicted by this graph, shared by Facts4EU

FACTS4EU

The revelations follow criticism of Britain's prison underfunded prison estate and has led to questioning from politicians.

The Government was set to release paedophiles and the killers of Pc Andrew Harper until Andy Burnham intervened.

A petition to the Government to prevent the release of Albert Bowers and Jessie Cole crossed one million signatures last week as the Prime Minister asked Justice Secretary Alex Norris to find a "solution".

Investment in Britain's prison estate in 2025/26 is just a fraction of Government spending on climate change foreign aid, as revealed in the second graph from Facts4EU.

The Government's climate change foreign aid far outnumbers capital investment in Britain's prison estate

FACTS4EU

Notably, gender equality factors in to how the climate investment funding is used, according to the Department for Net Zero.

"We are strengthening the gender-responsiveness and inclusivity of UK climate finance for both adaptation and mitigation, including by increasing the proportion of climate finance that has gender equality as a principal or significant objective as defined by the OECD Development Assistance Committee Gender Equality policy marker," the DESNZ press release reads.

Richard Tice, Deputy Leader of Reform UK, said international climate funding was "nonsense" the Government could not afford.

He told GB News: "Just when you think the insanity of this government's Net stupid Zero policies can't get any worse, we then discover this, thanks to Facts4EU's diligent research and GB News' reporting.

"Quite how Andy Burnham and his colleagues imagine this will go down with the general public is a question for them.

"They've committed an astonishing £12.7 billion pounds for the remainder of this financial year and the next two, to spending money on overseas aid solely for 'climate change projects' in poorer countries."

On August 1, Chancellor John Healey revealed he had asked the Cabinet to find cuts and make "tough choices" to fund a series of policy announcements from Mr Burnham, including devolving power to regional authorities, expanding technical education and cheaper bus fares.

Mr Tice added: "At the same time, they've had over two years to ramp up spending on all kinds of important issues at here home - not the least being enough prison spaces - and to make cuts in spending on things which we can't afford."

How funding for the prison estate is used has also been questioned as Labour's early release scheme faces increased scrutiny.

Last week, GB News reported nearly 350 prison spaces sit unused in one of Britain's most expensive prisons.

HMP Millsike, a £400m "super-prison" in York, has a capacity of 1,468 - but is currently capped at roughly 1,100 to ensure the prison remains ensure the prison remains safe, secure and stable as it expands, GB News understands.

And HMP Highland, a "Net Zero" prison on the outskirts of Inverness has already cost the taxpayer £207million and will only house 200 prisoners.

The long-delayed prison, set to open in spring 2027, has been delayed several times, in 2016, 2021, and 2024.

Lord Redwood, a Conservative peer, said Labour's early release scheme, which was set to free dangerous grooming gang sex offenders, had been incompetently handled.

Lord Redwood told GB News: "The mismanagement of prisoner release is worrying people and alarming victims, seeing dangerous men set free to roam our streets.

"The government claims it has to because it is short of prison places, yet there are empty cells in a brand-new prison, for want of staff.

"Every time a new prison opens, the service shuts down an old one that could be repaired and used for a bit longer.

"The government pleads poverty but they can find billions for Net Zero schemes under foreign aid. Most of us are all for the UK providing help with crises and offering hunger relief abroad.

"We do not think it more important to install Chinese-made solar panels in a foreign country than providing enough prison warders and cells to keep us safe at home."

Mr Tice said a Reform UK Government would tackle the prison early release scheme as a priority.

The Deputy Reform Leader said: "The Reform UK government will start on this as soon as we're in power.

"Today's Facts4EU and GB News report is another example of how much there is to do, but we’re ready to get our sleeves rolled up.

"These things are doable if you have the will to do them. We do."

Multi-billion investment in Net Zero has been scrutinised as former Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer went globetrotting - even receiving a top honour from the French Government.

Where the investment is spent has also been criticised - last year, it emerged Great British Energy solar panels were built abroad in China, leading to cross-party criticism and slave labour concerns.

Lord Redwood told GB News: "The last Prime Minister loved totting up the air miles and the new one wants more travel between No10 and a pointless second No10 in Manchester, adding to the CO2 output.

"Neither seems to grasp that their own Net Zero policies of closing down our industries and importing instead, boost world CO2. Instead of buying solar panels for foreign countries, they should reverse their damaging, high-energy cost, high-energy tax policies.

"Mr Burnham says he understands the public wish to keep dangerous criminals in jail, so why doesn't he hire the warders we need for our current prisons to use all the cells?

"Why doesn't he tell the Prison Service to fix the problems in old jails to extend their lives? Why not rent accommodation for less dangerous criminals to increase capacity?

"If he spent less on badly-directed overseas aid and backed more UK industry, he could both keep the prisoners in and help reduce world CO2. Then the jobs would be here at home, not making solar panels in China."

GB News has approached the DESNZ for comment.