The increasingly hapless Justine Greening, who has largely disappeared off the political radar since her unwanted move from Transport to International Development, seems to have inadvertently upset the South Africans. She has announced that Britain’s aid to the country will cease from 2015. Judging from the reaction of South Africa and her Labour opposite number Ivan Lewis, you’d think she had suggested that in addition there should be a slaughter of the first born in Cape Town. While there seems to have been a cock up in the communication of this decision to the South Africans (she says they knew all about it and welcomed it – they say the opposite) can anyone really support giving development aid to a fellow member of the G20? As usual in these cases, the facts go out of the window and raw emotion takes over. Perhaps Ivan Lewis doesn’t actually know that he is bursting several blood vessels over a mere £19 million.

I am sure there are areas of dire poverty in South Africa that could do with £19 million. Perhaps Ivan Lewis might like to justify why the South Africans should get that money rather than the Labour client states of Glasgow, Liverpool or Manchester – cities that have been kept in dire poverty by Labour governments over the years, yet inexplicably still come back and vote for them. (And yes I know Glasgow went SNP in recent years, but you get my point).

So over the top has Ivan Lewis gone, that he has said our withdrawal of aid reminds South Africa of our role during the Apartheid years. Perhaps I should send him a copy of Robin Renwick’s book so he can inform himself better. Renwick was our ambassador in South Africa during many of the Thatcher years and for the first time tells the true story of Margaret Thatcher’s role in trying to persuade the South Africans to release Nelson Mandela and end Apartheid.

The truth is we should be giving aid to the very poorest countries, not fellow members of the G20. This is how international aid gets a bad name. It needs proper direction, and although hr department might have been clumsy in the handling of the announcement, the fact is that Justine Greening has done the right thing. The fact that Ivan Lewis is whipping up a storm in a tea-cup will do him and Labour no good politically at all.

I feel we might discuss this on my show this afternoon.