UK: Taxpayers to fund £3bn malaria programme with Microsoft founder Bill Gates

British taxpayers will join forces with Microsoft tycoon Bill Gates and fund a £3bn programme whose aim is to eradicate malaria within decades.

The chancellor George Osborne will announce the Government will spend £500m a year for each of the next five years in conjunction with the Gates Foundation, which will spend £200m a year.

The Microsoft tycoon will travel to Liverpool with the chancellor to see ground-breaking scientific research into drugs, diagnostics and insecticides.

The British government's commitment of £2.5bn is a significant increase on the £1.8 billion spent in the previous parliament.

In a joint letter to The Times, the pair said that the money would show that the disease, which kills one child every minute, can be defeated because "problems such as hunger and disease aren't insoluble".

"We are optimistic that in our lifetimes we can eradicate malaria and other deadly tropical diseases, and confront emerging threats, making the world a safer place for all," the letter says.

The newspaper reports it is the latest stage of Osborne's drive to overhaul the aid budget, with more of a focus on programmes which can be shown to benefit the UK, such as targeting diseases which threaten global pandemics.