At least £1.8 billion of taxpayer cash has gone to countries richer than Britain's poorest borough, shock analysis shows. Figures held by the Office for National Statistics suggest 75 per cent of the 361 authorities dotted across Britain come below that GDP threshold. Among the nations who benefited from Britain's donations and were wealthier than Lewisham was China (£17,100), one of the world's economic powerhouses. Between 2009-2023, £545m of official development assistance (ODA) was given to Beijing directly, according to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's (FCDO) most up-to-date expenditure breakdown.