I KNOW a lot of people won’t agree, but I believe we should give aid to poorer countries for these reasons.

First, a lot of them were or are members of our empire.

Africa still has not recovered from the days of slavery, which we participated in.

We should be working towards a wider world; we are the second biggest arms-dealing country in the world.

Even though we are in a recession and taxed to the hilt nobody starves in this country, and to me it is the moral and compassionate thing to do. Also, we are still one of the richest countries in the world.

If we stopped giving aid to poorer countries, it would be a very sad day.

Robert D Greaves, Alder Way, New Earswick, York.