Ramsey councillor Lisa Duffy has said she will “refuse to endorse politically-correct aid programmes” in her new role as foreign aid spokesman for UKIP.

Councillor Duffy was appointed to the post by the new leader of UKIP, Paul Nuttall, who was elected by party members in November in a re-run leadership contest following the resignation of Diane James.

Cllr Duffy, a UKIP councillor for Ramsey, came second to Mrs James in the party’s first leadership contest but decided against standing in the second ballot, in which Mr Nuttall triumphed.

Cllr Duffy was announced as spokesman for foreign aid on December 22.

Cllr Duffy said: “I am delighted to have been chosen by Paul Nuttall to advance UKIP’s case in this very important policy area.

“I shall be seeking to show how Britain can be a true friend to people in developing countries while also sending far less of our taxpayers’ money overseas -often to corrupt regimes - in outdated aid programmes.

“Under my stewardship UKIP will remain the party that refuses to endorse politically correct and bloated aid programmes which fail to offer the best path to growing prosperity for poorer countries.”

Mr Nuttall said: “Lisa is compassionate and fair, but absolutely no pushover.

“The exact qualities needed to reassess who should receive our hard-earned foreign aid, and who should not.”