David Cameron has been accused of a making a diplomatic gaffe after being overheard telling the Queen that Nigeria and Afghanistan are “possibly the two most corrupt countries in the world”.
The Prime Minister was caught on camera making the comments two days before the leaders of both countries are due in London to attend an anti-corruption summit, which he is hosting.
He was filmed telling the Queen: “We've got some leaders of some fantastically corrupt countries coming to Britain.
“We've got Nigeria and Afghanistan, possibly the two most corrupt countries in the world.”
Mr Cameron was chatting with the monarch at an event to mark her 90th birthday at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, and Commons Speaker John Bercow can be seen in the clip, published by ITV News.
The UK is sending foreign aid worth about £241 million to Nigeria and £145 million to Afghanistan - some £386 million in total - over the 2016/2017 financial year.
Number 10 declined to comment directly on the premier's conversations with the Queen but pointed out that the leaders of both countries had acknowledged the scale of the problem they faced.
Afghanistan's Ashraf Ghani and Nigeria's Muhammadu Buhari have written essays for a book accompanying the summit.
Mr Ghani, they said, acknowledges in his piece that Afghanistan is "one of the most corrupt countries on earth" and Mr Buhari that corruption became a "way of life" in his country under "supposedly accountable democratic governments".
A spokesman added: "Both leaders have been invited to the summit because they are driving the fight against corruption in their countries. The UK stands shoulder to shoulder with them as they do so."
The summit is due to take place on Thursday at Lancaster House.
