Never in the field of humanitarian relief has so much been given to so many with so little scrutiny. In recent years, the UK’s Disasters Emergency Committee has co-ordinated the fund-raising and disbursement of hundreds of millions of pounds in donations to handle the consequences of crises around the world. Accountability at home needs to catch up.

The committee has proved a useful umbrella organisation for more than 40 years, raising money at low cost with support from celebrities and the media and distributing it for spending between its dozen or so members – the UK’s most important relief agencies such as Oxfam, Save the Children and Christian Aid.