The Government was under pressure on Saturday to review British aid worth £200 million after an African country staged a widely condemned election.

A former cabinet minister warned against “spraying money around” simply to ensure that Britain kept the United Nations target of spending 0.7 per cent of national income on overseas aid.

The row focuses on Tanzania where the government has been accused of rigging elections on the island of Zanzibar, leading the opposition to boycott the latest poll.

This week, America accused Tanzania’s government of a “pattern of actions” that undermined democracy and cancelled aid worth $472 million (£331 million).

This placed pressure on Britain to do the same, especially in the wake of widespread concern over the use of the aid budget for controversial projects.

But the Foreign Office told the Telegraph there was no decision to reduce Britain’s support for Tanzania even though Zanzibar’s election had not reflected the “will of the people”.