David Cameron will today admit that British aid money may have been wasted but that increasing the aid budget is still the right thing to do.

British aid money may have fallen into the wrong hands, Mr Cameron will admit, but it is right to continue with increasing the aid budget to £12billion by 2014.

At a speech in Lagos today, Mr Cameron is likely to say: "There are some people back at home who don't like Britain's aid commitment.

"They look at where some of our aid money has gone in recent years... on the wrong priorities and into the wrong hands. And think - this is all being wasted. They have a point - some of our money has been wasted."

Mr Cameron is expected to add that the solution is not to cut aid but to increase transparency about where aid is directed. "When we find corruption robbing the people, we need to act," he will continue.

Britain is one of the few countries in the world who continue to meet their international aid commitments, despite cuts being made at home. This policy has sparked criticism from those who believe the UK should be investing more at home. However, Mr Cameron is likely to continue his defence of Britain's aid program, drawing attention to the hunger of thousands in the Horn of Africa.

A survey conducted by think-tanks Chatham House and YouGov found that many people feel too much is being spent on overseas aid, while too little is being spent equipping the armed forces.

65 percent of the British public have been found to think Britain's foreign policy has changed for the worse over the past year and 60 percent thought much of Britain's aid had been wasted.

Regarding British intervention overseas, only 20 percent feel the UK have a moral right to support pro-democracy uprisings, such as those seen in Libya, while nearly half of all respondents thought the UK should not be involved at all.

A Foreign Office spokesperson said the government rejected any notion that Britain's role in the world was shrinking.

A recent report from the Henry Jackson Society argues that Britain must resolve the incoherence of claiming to be a world power, despite not pursuing a policy that reflected this position.

Mr Cameron will return from Africa early to concentrate on the furore surrounding the hacking scandal. Before he leaves he is expected to say that Britain must increase trade with Africa if they are to avoid missing out on one of the greatest current economic opportunities.

Libya