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British Council’s £197m debt should mostly be written off, MPs say

Commons report calls on Foreign Office to bail out soft-power flagship reeling from job cuts and asset sales

The Guardian - UK · Oct 30

International students bring much more than money to the UK

Letters: Catriona McCarthy says enduring personal and professional connections should not be overlooked, while Graham Thompson says university leaders should shoulder some responsibility for their plight

The Guardian - UK · Aug 20

A-level results: key takeaways for language learning

Exam-entry statistics in the summer tend to prompt debates about the future of language learning in the UK. These are often framed around languages being in crisis: fewer young people study languages than two decades ago, and concerns persist about the UK’s linguistic capacity in an interconnected world.

The Conversation · Aug 13

British Council in ‘precarious financial situation’ after failing to repay £197m Covid loan

There could now be a drastic reduction in the council’s operations, including making around a quarter of staff redundant and closing offices in 11 countries

The Independent UK · Jun 16

British Council is a strategic asset in post-Brexit era

Letter: Prof Mark R Sanderson says the council is Britain’s most effective instrument of soft power and should be funded properly, not hollowed out

The Guardian - UK · May 25

Soft power sell-off: anger as British Council announces sale of historic Madrid building

Backlash grows among European staff against radical cuts to pay off Covid-era debt, with some accusing council of ‘colonial attitude’

The Guardian - UK · May 22

British Council staff in Italy to strike over proposed 80% workforce cut

Soft power institution faces funding crisis linked to Covid-era government loan due to be repaid by September

The Guardian - UK · May 20

‘We put our heads above the parapet’: Lubaina Himid on winning her 40-year battle to storm the Venice Biennale

In the 1980s, she had to show her work in a corridor by the ICA’s toilet. Now she’s representing Britain at the ‘art Olympics’. So is the artist feeling a bit establishment? Quite the reverse

The Guardian - UK · May 5

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor ‘banned from horseriding’ by royal aides after arrest

The former prince is under investigation for misconduct in public office

The Independent UK · Feb 26

‘Rude, arrogant and entitled’: MPs line up to condemn disgraced Andrew

The speaker let it be known there was no prohibition on criticising royals in the chamber. So MPs had a go

The Guardian - UK · Feb 24