Labour spends millions of taxpayer money on broadband for South African communities - while rural Britons 'struggle' for decent internet

Only 70 per cent of rural communities in the UK are capable of accessing gigabit-capable broadband

Labour has come under fire for spending £4.4million to help subsidise and improve internet connectivity in South Africa.

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) spending was uncovered in research carried out for GB News by the Taxpayers Alliance.

Critics have accused the party of spending millions of pounds prioritising internet expansion in Africa, while many rural families in Britain continue to struggle with high speed wifi themselves.

Only 70 per cent of rural communities in the UK are capable of accessing gigabit-capable broadband 15 years after it first became available in London in 2011, and seven years after a mass rollout across the country in 2019.

A new report has found a Government scheme, which started under Sir Keir Starmer’s administration in December 2024, planned to support the rollout of low-cost, high-speed internet in Townships in South Africa’s West Cape.

Responding to the findings, Reform UK Chairman, Lee Anderson, said: “Labour continues to prioritise other countries over its own citizens.

"Every year, billions of pounds of taxpayers' money are sent to governments around the globe. The United Kingdom is not a charity.”

He added: “Spending £4.4million to improve internet connectivity in South Africa is ludicrous when hardworking Brits all over the country are struggling to get a decent connection.”

Shadow Foreign Secretary Dame Priti Patel also slated criticised the allocation of the FCDO's funds.

She told GB News: “Hard pressed Britain’s taxpayers will want to know why their taxes are funding broadband in South Africa when the UK’s own broadband digital infrastructure requires investment to support our economy and communities.

"At a time when this Labour government is making unfunded promises at home and has no grip on the public purse, they must explain why they have prioritised funding programs in other countries while they are failing to deliver at home on the economic security and prosperity of the United Kingdom."

The funding is being used in part to help subsidise the cost of the broadband so that users pay on average 345 South African Rand (£15.30p).

South Africans are paying on average of £5.00 a month less than the average UK equivalent broadband plan.

Investigative lead at the Taxpayer’s Alliance, Rhys Hurley, said: “Taxpayers will be shocked to hear that they are subsidising a South African Wi-Fi company to the tune of nearly £4.5million.

“Companies in the UK would love to offer their customers £5 off their monthly bills, but they cannot rely on foreign government funding, only on people already facing high taxes at home."

Mr Hurley told the People’s Channel: “Britain faces a ballooning debt crisis, yet this is a Labour Government that won’t face up to the problem.

"Foreign funding cannot just keep being chucked at a wall while taxpayers suffer.”

The funding provided by the Government is estimated to have increased monthly subscribers in South Africa from 19,000 to 156,000.

Customers in South Africa have reported using their subsidised broadband for 38 per cent of the time for entertainment, 25 per cent for work, 22 per cent for learning and 14 per cent for social media.

An FCDO spokesperson said: "This is a commercial investment made through British International Investment, the UK's development finance institution - which is expected to generate a return for the UK taxpayer. “In total, over the last ten years, BII's portfolio has generated over £1bn in returns for the taxpayer."