Members of Longniddry Christian Aid Committee have welcomed Douglas Alexander MP and Martin Whitfield MSP to a coffee morning held at Longniddry Parish Church.

The group’s ‘Breaking Bread’ event was part of a national initiative by Christian Aid which involves local and regional groups hosting events at which their MP can meet the local Christian Aid team.

It is also an opportunity for politicians to meet other residents and constituents in a welcoming environment to discuss issues they are concerned about. The main topic of this meeting was the global debt crisis, which traps millions of people in poverty.

As set out in Christian Aid’s Between Life and Debt report, 34 African countries spend more on debt repayments than healthcare and/or education.  Christian Aid has been promoting the importance of debt relief for low-income countries, primarily in relation to debt owed to private lenders.

Speaking afterwards, Douglas Alexander MP said:

“I was helping to deliver Christian Aid envelopes before I was delivering Labour Party leaflets, so it was a real pleasure to meet with Longniddry Parish Church’s Christian Aid group and join them for their coffee morning. I also welcomed the opportunity to discuss action on tackling global poverty, the part debt plays in it, and the UK Government’s role.”

Martin Whitfield MSP said:

“Longniddry Parish Church and its Christian Aid committee have a long track record of raising awareness and campaigning on issues of global concern such as poverty, education and the debt crisis. I was pleased to join them for this coffee morning and catch up on some of the charity’s latest important work on these issues.”

Peter Helmn, Chairman of the Longniddry Christian Aid Committee, said:

“We were delighted to welcome Douglas and Martin to our ‘Breaking Bread’ event on Saturday morning. It was an excellent opportunity to discuss with them the injustice caused by debt and climate change and the detrimental impact this has on the lives of the world’s poorest people. We look forward to continuing this dialogue.”