On Tuesday, July 28, U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron promised to fight corrupt foreigners who invest in Britain's properties with their "dirty money." He also talked about fighting global corruption and extending foreign trade during his two-day visit in Singapore.
Cameron was keen on fighting the challenging battle against corruption. For the U.K. Prime Minister, corruption will always be "a cancer which is at the heart of so many of the world's problems." Cameron's speech early Tuesday focused on global corruption and how he vowed to fight foreign traders who stash their "dirty money" investing in U.K. properties, reports The Huffington Post.
During his speech, Cameron noted that properties in the U.K., particularly in London, "are being bought by people overseas through anonymous shell companies, some with plundered or laundered cash." And while the prime minister also emphasized that foreign investors are welcome in the U.K., however, Cameron mentioned that transparency of information should be strictly implemented as it is key to counter corrupt businessmen.
"They are welcome in Britain. And I want more of them. I want Britain to be the most open country in the world for investment. But I want to ensure that all this money is clean money. There is no place for dirty money in Britain," Cameron said. "Indeed, there should be no place for dirty money anywhere. That's my message to foreign fraudsters: London is not a place to stash your dodgy cash."
According to BBC News, several officials also supported the campaign against global corruption. Laura Taylor, head of advocacy at Christian Aid, mentioned that the campaign was "another step forward in the battle for greater transparency worldwide." U.K. director for One, Diane Sheard, also agreed with the terms and said: "Lifting this veil of secrecy will help developing countries to identify and recover these funds, which should be spent on essentials like health and education."
Prime Minister Cameron is currently on a four-day tour of South East Asia. He is on an official visit to unite U.K. with the South East Asian nations in diplomacy and trade unions. After visiting Indonesia and Singapore, the prime minister will head to Malaysia and Vietnam.
