Spending plans for British Council may force it to close in 60 countries, sources say | Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
By: Kiran Stacey and Michael Savage | Published: 2025-06-08 15:00:00 | Source: www.theguardian.com
Ministers have asked the British Council to draw up spending plans that would force it to close in as many as 60 countries, sources have told the Guardian, in the latest sign of the impact of Keir Starmer’s decision to cut the aid budget.
The council has been asked to draw up two sets of spending plans as part of Wednesday’s spending review: one in which its funding would remain the same in cash terms and one in which it would be cut by 2% in cash terms each year.
The scenarios are the same as those that have been demanded of the BBC World Service, and would mean the council having to shut completely in large parts of the world. The plans are likely to add to warnings that the government’s cuts to overseas aid are at risk of damaging its soft power just as Russia and China are…
