Blair and Brown told: 'put your money where your mouth is'

Tony Blair and Gordon Brown should put their money where their mouth is by fulfilling their promise to increase aid - that is the message from the UK's aid agencies in a full page advert published in today's Guardian. In the ad, ActionAid, CAFOD, DATA and Oxfam call on the two men to match the progress made by ten other countries who have either already fulfilled the international agreement to provide 0.7% of national income in aid or set a date for when they will. The call comes as Blair and Brown finalise their Spending Review, which will set out government spending for the next three years. They have come under increasing pressure on aid with over 200 MPs signing a motion demanding an aid increase to 0.7% of national income, and faith leaders emphasising the moral imperative of tackling global poverty. CAFOD Head of Public Policy, George Gelber, said: "Blair and Brown need to show world leadership. They must increase aid and set a date for meeting the 0.7% target If ten other countries can do it then so can Blair and Brown. " If they fail, on top of the risk to millions of poor people, they risk jeopardising their own political credibility." Next year the UK will host the G8, hold the Presidency of the EU, and Tony Blair's Africa Commission will report. All of these events combine to put the British government in the spotlight over their declared aim to tackle world poverty. UK Director of Action Aid International, Richard Miller, pointed out: "Unless the UK government, at the very least, sets a timetable to achieve 0.7% of income on aid, Blair and Brown's words will look very hollow indeed. "If they fail to deliver the cash, the whole world will pay the price. The cost of Britain's failure could be African lives."