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Our commitment is not just for current phrase but also for long haul, we will remain at Pakistan's side
Andrew Mitchell
The international response to the floods in Pakistan has been "woefully inadequate", international development secretary Andrew Mitchell has said.
In a statement to the Commons this afternoon Mitchell told MPs that while the international community had failed to act quickly enough to come to Pakistan's aid, the UK was first major country to come to Pakistanis support in its "hour of need".
And he praised the "magnificent" response of the British public who had once again demonstrated their "compassion and generosity" by donating £47m to the Disasters Emergency Committee appeal.
He said the British government would remain committed to helping Pakistan recover from the devastating floods in the long term.
"Our commitment is not just for current phrase but also for long haul, we will remain at Pakistan's side," he said.
"We will also support longer term reconstruction needs such as schools and health clinics.”
Britain and Pakistan are "bound together in history and family" and the bond would remain strong over the coming months and years, he added.
According to the British Red Cross more than 1,100 people are estimated to have died and at least 1 million people have been badly affected by the floods that the Pakistani authorities believe to be the worst to have hit the country in the past 80 years.
Mitchell told the Commons that the first of three new aid flights from Britain had just landed in Pakistan, delivering a range relief equipment.
But he said the government had not simply "signed a check and handed it over".
"We are working night and day to make sure every penny spent achieves a meaningful output," he said.
Shadow international development secretary Douglas Alexander expressed his "deep sympathy and solidarity" with the Pakistani people and praised the work of his former department.
Malcolm Bruce said the UK response had been a "leadership to the world" which cemented the relationship between Britain and Pakistan.
The chair of the Commons development committee also called for Pakistan to be bumped to the top of the UK's bilateral aid list, something Mitchell said was likely to happen.
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