John Baron MP welcomes Prime Minister’s positive response on British Council campaign

MP questions Prime Minister on G7 Summit in House of Commons

The British Council All-Party Parliamentary Group, of which John Baron MP is chair, is campaigning to persuade the Government to avert the need to close some of its overseas offices by closing the £10 million shortfall in the British Council’s finances. Last Monday John and the Chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, Tom Tugendhat MP, delivered a letter to the Prime Minister to this end signed by over 100 MPs and Peers.

In the Chamber, John asked,

“The growing importance of soft power is very much recognised by the G7, yet there remains a £10 million shortfall between the Government’s generous package to see the British Council through the pandemic and what it needs to maintain its existing international network of offices as defined by a country director in post abroad. If not bridged, the result will be the largest single set of closures in the British Council’s proud 90-year history.”

“Given the Prime Minister has told me personally that he ‘gets it’, that the £10 million can be given as a loan, and that our competitors’ cultural institutes are expanding their physical footprint, can he ensure his relevant Government Departments also ‘get it’ before the Ministerial Statement due shortly?”

In response the Prime Minister thanked John for his campaign and said that he would see what further he could do.

Afterwards, John said,

“I welcome the Prime Minister’s positive response to my question. Cutting the British Council’s international network is not the right way forward, will damage our soft power and is not compatible with the Government’s wider foreign policy priorities. The success of the G7 summit underlines the importance of soft power, and I remain optimistic that we can persuade the Government to make a good decision before it makes a bad decision publicly. If it does listen, I will applaud the Government.”

Notes to Editors:

• For further information, please see John’s previous press release, ‘British Council letter to Prime Minister gains cross-party support’ (https://pressreleases.johnbaron.co.uk/archives/4319).