Charity attack G8 leaders on aid

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Save the Children branded the G8 pledges to combat poverty and ill health among the world's poor "desperately off-track".

The charity praised Prime Minister Tony Blair for focusing the world's gaze on Africa, adding leader-in-waiting Gordon Brown had yet to demonstrate if he had the political skills to match his passion for fighting for the Third World.

Their criticism comes just days before the latest G8 meeting in Heiligendamm, Germany.

Political chiefs were "strolling" rather than sprinting towards poverty reduction, the group claimed.

Charity heads also said they feared the leading industrial nations would stage a U-turn on their pledge of giving 25 billion dollars (£12.5bn) in new aid to Africa by 2010.

Save the Children head of advocacy Martin Kirk said: "The G8 are desperately off-track.

"They can't be allowed to think that breaking promises to the world's poor is acceptable.

"We fear they are even considering dropping the central Gleneagles commitment of 25 billion dollars new aid to Africa by 2010.

"Where is the urgency? Where is the dynamic action that African children need? The G8 leaders look like they are taking a sedate stroll towards poverty reduction when they need to sprint towards poverty eradication."