The way the European Commission distributes aid provided by UK taxes to the poorest nations has been branded a "disgrace" by International Development Secretary Clare Short.

Ms Short's criticism comes ahead of a report from the influential Commons Public Accounts Committee, which is expected to attack the EU's aid record.

More than a �624m of the UK's aid budget goes every year to the EU's programmes for helping developing countries.

Speaking on BBC Two's Newsnight programme, Ms Short said that amount was a third of the UK government's current aid money.

Clare Short says the EC may get less aid cash

She was worried that a shrinking amount of the money was going to the poorest countries.

"It's an outrage and a disgrace and we need enormous pressure on the commission to focus its money on poor countries.

"If they don't, I think when the next replenishment comes round in 2006, we should have less of our money going through the commission."

A report from the Commons foreign affairs committee on Wednesday said the UK had a particular duty to help rebuild Zimbabwe.

Africa peace hopes

But distrust of the UK as the former colonial power of the country, as it is in other developing nations, made achieving that role difficult, said the MPs.

The committee argued that problem meant the British government was best channelling aid through other countries or aid agencies.

Ms Short said the new peace deal in the Democratic Republic of the Congo meant there would be a major increase in aid for that part of central Africa.

Continued peace in the area was not inevitable, she said, but with continued international attention there was an important chance.