Rishi Sunak is giving £113 million of Tax payers money to Iraq

At a time where household water bills are rising while water companies are pumping raw sewage into our rivers and the sea our PM (not my PM) is giving Iraq £113 million of our tax payer money as part of a £226 million pay out to provide clean water and drainage for just 25,000 Iraqi households , the other £113 million is being provided by Standard Chartered Bank under a loan agreement with the somewhat corrupt Iraqi government.

The UK’s export credit agency has secured £226 million in financing for the Iraqi government to develop over 350km of drainage infrastructure as well as 15 stormwater and wastewater lifting stations near Hillah city.

Upon completion, the project is expected to help over 25,000 households access clean water in the wider Al-Hillah district, where wastewater is not currently treated.

Supported by UKEF’s financing agreements, UK exporters will provide almost half of the project’s content, including specialist equipment and installation.

Lord Offord, Minister for Exports, said: “
With their deep expertise across a range of sectors, UK exporters are leading partners for overseas governments seeking to deliver transformational projects. Works in Al-Hillah will help to bring clean water to tens of thousands of people in Iraq, showing how UK Export Finance can unlock financing and UK innovation for sustainable development around the world.

Faruq Muhammad, Global Head of Structured Export Finance, at Standard Chartered Bank, said:
We are proud to provide UKEF-backed financing for our important client, the Iraqi government, to improve sewage and drainage infrastructure for local communities in the Al-Hillah district, underpinning our here for good commitment to make a positive difference in the places we call home. Our UKEF financing capability and global network helped us deliver a unique and complex financing, collaborating with multiple companies from various countries.
www.gov.uk...#:~:text=The%20UK's%20export%20credi t%20agency,lifting%20stations%20near%20Hillah%20city.

It's not like we're a bit short of cash at the moment ...

UK general government gross debt was £2,537.0 billion at the end of Quarter 1 (Jan to Mar) 2023,equivalent to 100.5% of gross domestic product (GDP).
www.ons.gov.uk...#:~:te xt=UK%20general%20government%20gross%20debt,equivalent%20to%203.8%25%20of%20GDP.

Ah , well that's OK just put it on the credit card for the next government to sort out.

Unfortunately the next government will likely be Labour and history shows that the way that successive Labour government's piss taxpayer money away makes this lot look parsimonious.

It does present some Israel apologist vibe as they go on their rampage. Trying to by to some favor at this time?

originally posted by: gortex
At a time where household water bills are rising while water companies are pumping raw sewage into our rivers and the sea our PM (not my PM) is giving Iraq £113 million of our tax payer money as part of a £226 million pay out to provide clean water and drainage for just 25,000 Iraqi households , the other £113 million is being provided by Standard Chartered Bank under a loan agreement with the somewhat corrupt Iraqi government.

The UK’s export credit agency has secured £226 million in financing for the Iraqi government to develop over 350km of drainage infrastructure as well as 15 stormwater and wastewater lifting stations near Hillah city.

Upon completion, the project is expected to help over 25,000 households access clean water in the wider Al-Hillah district, where wastewater is not currently treated.

Supported by UKEF’s financing agreements, UK exporters will provide almost half of the project’s content, including specialist equipment and installation.

Lord Offord, Minister for Exports, said: “
With their deep expertise across a range of sectors, UK exporters are leading partners for overseas governments seeking to deliver transformational projects. Works in Al-Hillah will help to bring clean water to tens of thousands of people in Iraq, showing how UK Export Finance can unlock financing and UK innovation for sustainable development around the world.

Faruq Muhammad, Global Head of Structured Export Finance, at Standard Chartered Bank, said:
We are proud to provide UKEF-backed financing for our important client, the Iraqi government, to improve sewage and drainage infrastructure for local communities in the Al-Hillah district, underpinning our here for good commitment to make a positive difference in the places we call home. Our UKEF financing capability and global network helped us deliver a unique and complex financing, collaborating with multiple companies from various countries.
www.gov.uk...#:~:text=The%20UK's%20export%20credit %20agency,lifting%20stations%20near%20Hillah%20city.

It's not like we're a bit short of cash at the moment ...

UK general government gross debt was £2,537.0 billion at the end of Quarter 1 (Jan to Mar) 2023,equivalent to 100.5% of gross domestic product (GDP).
www.ons.gov.uk...#:~:te xt=UK%20general%20government%20gross%20debt,equivalent%20to%203.8%25%20of%20GDP.

Ah , well that's OK just put it on the credit card for the next government to sort out.

IMO foreign government type aid like this is pure monely laundering , making their rich buddies richer and they receive it back in some way. It's purely corruption , none of this money will go where it should, you can be sure. Same with US and Ukraine aid.

a reply to: gortex

Still waiting on the £350 million quid promised to the NHS splashed on the side of that bus are we not?

The entire fecking nation is on its arse.

Austerity everywhere we look.

And Sunak's giving out £113 million spondoolies halfway around the world???!!!

What about our infrastructure, that's failing and falling apart at the seams Rishi!

I think i read somewhere that in England, some places lose 40% of the water before it reaches the taps down to leakages and the state of the antiquated water pipes.

Im not even sure what the statistics would be regarding the rest of the nation.

He really needs to give his head a wobble, but i would not hold my breath on that score.

a reply to: ScarletDarkness

What's the bet Sunak, his family, or some of his Tory crony chums, own shares, or have bought into the Iraqi utility companies that will benefit from the deal?

a reply to: TheWhat

Unfortunately?

Have you seen what the Tories have done to the nation over the past decade and a half?

A Labour government won't be able to realistically fix or address the mess previous administrations have made since about 2010.

But another turn under the Tory wheel will do nothing more than sink the UK further into austerity and mass poverty.

We need to spend money on our own island before it degenerates into a 3rd world nation.

Which to be frank it resembles in some respects already depending on where you happen to be standing.

I've seen what successive governments of every stripe have done over the last fifty years and bitter experience tells me that a Labour government will take a good or bad situation and make it worse.

Take the example of the last labour government that at the behest of the Whitehouse took the nation into two bloody, expensive and unwinnable wars; surrendered to the IRA murderers and gave its two top Adjutant Generals seats in Parliament; Sold the national gold reserves to its banker friends at lowest ever price just before the gold price began the highest price increase in history; left the treasury bankrupt; Decimated the UK Border Force to ensure more Labour voters arrived; And gave the likes of Diane Abbot a shadow Home Secretary post.

a reply to: andy06shake

a reply to: TheWhat

None of the above changes the fact that this nation needs another Tory administration at the helm about as much as it does a bullet to the brain.

We are on our knees TheWhat.

Whilest the rich get richer and everybody else gets shafted from behind.

As far as I'm aware illegal immigrants don't get to vote so I'm not quite sure what the decimation of the UK border force has to do with much regarding the creation of more Labour voters.

Not that those very same people don't present a multitude of other dilemmas all the same.

Realistically a vote for Labour(and they are pish) is the only way we will ever get rid of the current crowd in power.

Essentially its the choice between the lesser of two evils by my guess.

Tell you one thing through, handing out £113 million to help the Iraqw people, when we are in the state we are back home makes no sense as far as i can establish.

a reply to: TheWhat

I've seen what successive governments of every stripe have done over the last fifty years and bitter experience tells me that a Labour government will take a good or bad situation and make it worse.

Not sure how a Labour government will make more of a mess than the last 13 years of the Tories , in fact I'm not even sure this Tory party are actually Conservatives the party seems to have evolved into the Social Conservative Party over the last few years ... I think they might of caught something in that inappropriate coalition they had with the Liberals.

Sunak is no doubt the weakest leader the Tories have had in my memory , worse than Duncan Smith but probably on par with Hague , I think continuing with him would be a fate worse than Labour.

I'm voting for an Independent next year as I can't , with good conscience , vote for either of the main parties.

Gortex Andy.

I would be in favour two year of a Politics Moritorium. Don't have any politicians and just see what happens. I bet things would go along just as well or better without that shower of #e in Westminster, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast.

a reply to: TheWhat

I don't think we need to have no politicians but we do need a root and branch shake up of our system , it's clear this one doesn't work to well in the 21st Century.

a reply to: TheWhat

See that sounds like a plan but the absence of politicians here in the UK would likely lead to a state of political vacuum and instability.

As much as we wish to hate their sort from afar they still play a crucial role in the functioning of a democratic government.

After all, they are supposed to act as representatives of the people.

Take them out of the equation and there would be nobody to voice the concerns and interests of the people.

And then there would be the economic impact on the nation(which is already on her arse) as political stability is often linked to economic stability.

Essentially a complete absence of political leadership would likely result in significant challenges and instability meaning the nation would tear itself apart at the seams and chances are we would have something reminiscent of a modern-day civil war.

Our system of governance is broken and as gortex suggests doesn't work too well in the 21st century, but replacing it with something that does not involve a measure politicians is apt to present quite a challenge by my guess.

I'm still in favour giving it a try

a reply to: andy06shake

a reply to: TheWhat

Ile play.

How could such a notion possibly be realistically implemented if it were to be given a try?

Just tell them sorry your services are no longer required don't let the door hit you on the arse on the way out.

What would we replace politicians with?

How would we represent the voice of the people without politicians?

Without them, there would be no one to voice our concerns, opinions, or needs of the citizens in the political arena.

And then there is the rule of law to consider.

How would we pass and implement new laws or policies?

After all politicians are responsible for formulating and implementing said policies and laws that address the societal issues and concerns of the United Kingdom.

Removing them would result in a lack of policy initiatives, making it impossible to address the problems and challenges the nation faces every day.

Do we keep the House of Lords or get rid of them also?

Because getting rid of that institution would also have serious implications for the rest of the constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy.

If you can come up with a set of mechanisms to put in place to address governance and decision-making here in the UK in the absence or without the need for politicians I'm all ears.