Tory peers have been accused of attempting to wreck a House of Lords debate over proposed laws imposing minimum spending on international aid.

The International Development Bill would make it a legal requirement for 0.7 per cent of Britain’s income to be spent on overseas development.

In ill-tempered exchanges in the upper house yesterday former chancellor Nigel Lawson denied amendments tabled by the Tories were designed to scupper the Bill, claiming they sought to make it “somewhat less bad.”

But Mr Lawson came under withering fire from the opposition benches and was stopped from speaking amid concerns he was seeking to make a filibustering speech to an amendment which sought to change a “the” to an “a.”

Labour’s Lord McConnell also accused Tory former minister Lord Howell of Guildford of making “inappropriate speeches” as he spoke during the opening stages of the Bill’s committee stage.