Cuts to BBC World Service funding would ‘make us less safe', MPs tell ministers

Hours before Rachel Reeves stood up to deliver her budget last year, government officials were still in tense negotiations with bosses at the BBC over how much the World Service would be given.
The amount they were haggling over was relatively small – just £5.5m out of a total budget of £400m. But BBC chiefs warned the government that if the cuts were imposed on them, they would have to close several language stations in parts of the world where the Russians already hold influence. Doing so would be a gift to Moscow, they added.
The argument worked, and the BBC got the extra cash it was asking for. But executives at the corporation worry that their appeal to Britain's soft power might not prove so effective this time, especially in light of the government's recent cuts to the aid budget.
'The government is asking the World Service to model cuts that would definitely mean having to close important parts of the service,' said one person familiar with the negotiations. 'The BBC's lobbying worked last time, but this round is proving harder.'
The Guardian recently revealed the government had asked the World Service to model two scenarios: one where their funding remains the same in cash terms; and one where it would be cut by 2% each year in cash terms. Each scenario would see the budget fall behind inflation, and could mean it ends up to £70m short of what its bosses believe it needs.
Jonathan Munro, the global director of the BBC, said: 'When it comes to international impact and influence, the BBC World Service is the UK's most powerful asset.
'While we currently deliver news in 42 languages to over 400m people every week, at the greatest value for money compared to other international news providers, we are ambitious about going further to provide independent news where there is a vital need.'
The service is just one institution promoting Britain's soft power abroad, but it is arguably the most powerful, reaching 450m people a week, according to the broadcaster's own figures.
When pollsters asked people from around the world about various British exports and organisations, the BBC came out well ahead of any other, with nearly 80% having heard of it and nearly 50% saying it made them feel more positively about the UK. In comparison, only about 55% had heard of the monarchy, and only 25% said it made them view the UK more favourably.
According to the same research, which the BBC commissioned, the organisation is also the most trusted of any global news outlet, ahead of CNN, Al Jazeera and Sky News.
Jonathan McClory, the managing partner at Sanctuary Counsel and an expert on soft power, said: 'It's a gratuitous accident of history that we have the BBC World Service. You couldn't recreate it if you were starting from scratch, but it enables us to shape a global information landscape and promote British values, such as a free press, transparency and broad support for human rights.'
Ministers say they understand this. Jenny Chapman, the international development minister, told the Guardian: 'The World Service do tremendous work, work that nobody else can do … They are soft power, an absolute gold standard resource. We respect that.'
But supporters of the organisation fear that budgetary pressure has left its influence on the wane.
In 2014, the coalition government stopped funding the world service, leaving the BBC to pay for it purely out of the licence fee. Two years later the government restored some direct funding, which was ringfenced for certain language services, but at a much lower level.
Most of the service's £400m budget still comes from licence fee money – a situation the director general, Tim Davie, has warned is not sustainable, especially when domestic operations are being cut.
Both scenarios that the government has asked BBC bosses to draw up for the World Service would involve closing certain parts of it.
While it will not shut down operations in entire countries, BBC insiders say they are likely to have to close certain foreign language services where there are relatively few people who speak that language. Those services in places close to Russia – which corporation bosses warned last year would be closed if more money was not forthcoming – are once more on the chopping block.
The problem with closing operations, even those with relatively small audiences, is that it can give Russia and China a perfect opportunity to push their own propaganda.
When the BBC ended its long-wave BBC Arabic radio service in Lebanon, for example, Russian-backed media took over that exact frequency and began broadcasting on it instead. And on the day that thousands of pagers used by Hezbollah all simultaneously exploded in Lebanon, BBC monitors said they picked up what Davie later called 'unchallenged [Russian] propaganda' on that station.
The BBC's research has found that its trust level was largely unchanged from four years ago at 78%. Trust in both Russia Today and China Global Television Network had jumped however, from 59% to 71% and from 62% to 70%, respectively.
Last week Caroline Dinenage, the Conservative chair of the culture, media and sport select committee, wrote to cabinet ministers warning: 'Without sufficient resources, it could lead to more situations where the world service withdraws or reduces its services and Russian state media fills the vacuum, as in Lebanon.
'Ahead of the spending review, I invite you to reassure us that the government is not seeking to make a 2% cut to its funding of the World Service, at a time when it is vital to our strategic priorities, and that the government will not require cuts that will lead to the BBC having to close one or more language services.'
Such arguments have worked with Reeves and her officials in the past. But the chancellor is hemmed in like never before, having already promised major funding increases for defence, the health service and local transport.
Dinenage said: 'Ministers have told us that the world service bolsters UK security. Cutting its funding now would undoubtably make us all less safe.'
A Foreign Office spokesperson said: 'Despite a tough fiscal situation, we continue to back the World Service, providing a large uplift of £32.6m this year alone, taking our total funding to £137m.
'The work they do as an independent and trusted broadcaster is highly valued by this government, as our continued financial support shows.'

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Western Telegraph

28 minutes ago

• Western Telegraph

PM urges Britons to contact Foreign Office for Israel evacuation flights

It comes after the US attacked three nuclear sites in Iran overnight and Tehran then launched a ballistic missile barrage against Israel. Speaking to Sky News, Sir Keir Starmer said: 'I urge all citizens to make contact with the Foreign Office so that we can facilitate whatever support is needed.' He added that the Government will help evacuate British citizens on charter flights 'as soon as we can'. Sir Keir said: 'Well for British citizens, we've been saying for some time to register their presence. 'And so far as Israel is concerned, just as soon as we can get charter flights off, we will do so.' The UK is preparing a flight to transport vulnerable British nationals and their dependants out of Israel and the OPTs early next week. British nationals in Israel and the OPTs should register their presence to receive the latest updates and register their interest in the… — Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (@FCDOGovUK) June 22, 2025 The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has continued to urge British nationals to register their details and interest in evacuation flights, the first of which it said will take off early next week. It said further flights 'will be considered depending on demand and the latest security situation'. According to the Israeli Government, some 22,000 tourists are seeking to board evacuation flights. It is unclear how many of these are UK citizens. British nationals who have already registered will automatically be contacted and provided with a link to the booking portal, the FCDO said. Those eligible for the flight will be expected to pay for their seat – and payment will be taken on registration on the flight booking form. The FCDO added that those with 'greatest need' will be prioritised, and British nationals plus their non-British immediate family members travelling with them are eligible. All passengers must hold a valid travel document, and those non-British immediate family members will require valid visas/permission to enter or remain that was granted for more than six months, the FCDO said. The UK has been working on charter flights for Britons in Israel but none have so far taken off as the country's airspace has been closed. Jonathan Reynolds said the Government is 'in active conversation' about chartering aircraft to get people out of Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories (Jordan Pettitt/PA) Business Secretary Jonathon Reynolds told Sky News on Sunday morning: 'We are in active conversations about chartering aircraft to get people out.' Asked if that will happen imminently, Mr Reynolds said: 'I believe our intention would be to do that as soon as possible… hours, not days.' Meanwhile, shadow foreign secretary Dame Priti Patel told Times Radio the UK 'must not be behind the curve' in evacuating its nationals. 'The Government's got to start moving fast now in terms of British nationals in Israel,' Dame Priti said. 'They've been talking about this for days… Israeli airspace is shut down. 'The Americans are ready to evacuate 25,000 US nationals — we must not be behind the curve.' The FCDO has warned British nationals not to make their way to the airport unless they are contacted. Register your presence: — Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (@FCDOGovUK) June 22, 2025 A spokesperson said: 'This is a perilous and volatile moment for the Middle East. 'The safety of British nationals in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories continues to be our utmost priority – that's why the UK Government is preparing flights to help those wanting to leave. 'Working closely with the Israeli authorities, our staff are continuing to work at pace to assist British nationals on the ground and ensure they receive the support they need.' Commercial flights remain in operation from Egypt and Jordan to the UK, and international land border crossings to these countries remain open. The FCDO said the situation 'remains volatile' and the Government's ability to run flights out of Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories 'could change at short notice'. The portal to register presence in Israel as a Briton is available at:

Telegraph

29 minutes ago

• Telegraph

Morrisons orders head office staff to work full time

Morrisons has ordered staff working in its head office back to their desks five days a week as the supermarket battles to revive its fortunes. The supermarket is understood to have told its employees based at its headquarters in Bradford that they must work a full five-day week after abandoning a policy which allowed staff to work compressed hours. Previously, staff were required to work 37.5 hours over four and a half days under a flexible working week pilot which the supermarket kicked off in 2020. The decision to revert back to five day weeks, which came into force this month, comes as bosses step up a drive to reinvigorate the supermarket as it loses customers to rivals including Aldi. Rami Baitiéh, who took over as Morrisons chief executive in late 2023, has been spearheading a turnaround effort. Last week, the supermarket said sales grew 4.2pc to £3.9bn in the 13 weeks to April 27, versus a year earlier. Mr Baitiéh said the figures showed it had 'bounced back strongly' after cyber issues in November. However, data from Kantar showed Morrisons' share of the grocery market dipped to 8.4pc in May compared to 8.6pc a year earlier. The head office changes are expected to help Morrisons cope with mounting competition from rivals as they step up a price war. Both Asda and Tesco have said they are expecting profits to take a hit this year as they invest heavily on price cuts. A spokesman for Morrisons said the head office changes would improve customer service and make sure its shelves are better stocked in stores. They added: 'In the context of a relentlessly competitive UK grocery market and widespread increased cost pressures, we have taken the difficult decision to ask our head office colleagues to move their working pattern from 4.5 days to a full five day week.' Staff will still be allowed to work both from home and the office during the week, and individuals may be able to work flexibly if they need to do so. It marks the latest shake-up of Morrisons' office working policy. In 2020, the supermarket introduced a four-day working week for head office workers, saying the change would 'make Morrisons a place where more people will want to join and stay'. Under the scheme, head office workers were asked to work on Saturdays once every four weeks. However, last year, Morrisons said it was changing its requirements following complaints from staff over having to work over the weekend. As part of the update, head office staff switched to a four and a half day week and were not asked to work any Saturdays. Morrisons' rivals have also scaled back flexible working policies since the pandemic. Last year, Asda scrapped its pilot after managers said a 44-hour week over four days trial left them exhausted. Domestic & General, a household appliance specialist employing 3,000 people, said it had received similar feedback from staff following a test of a four-day week. However, a four-day working week policy has received support from some in the Government, with Deputy Prime Minister, Angela Rayner, previously saying: 'If you can deliver within a four-day working week, then why not?' The Government later said this would not be part of its policy plans. Meanwhile, last year, the UK's first medical trial of a four-day working week suggested that there could be benefits to compressing hours. In the study, conducted by the University of Sussex, the policy was found to make employees happier and healthier. However, the company involved in the trial, Thrive, opted against adopting a four-day week full-time after its business suffered. The study found that the policy created some problems 'at a business level, particularly when it came to providing customer service'.

BBC News

31 minutes ago

• BBC News

Concerns Staffordshire parish being 'plundered' for battery sites

An area of South Staffordshire earmarked for eight separate battery energy storage site applications is being "plundered", said a parish council leader. Three battery energy storage systems (BESS) applications have already been approved for Lower Penn, with a further three awaiting decision, said Lower Penn Parish Council. South Staffordshire Council also considered two separate BESS proposals for sites in Flash Lane, Orton, near Wombourne and The Roughs, at Dimmingsdale, in Lower Penn on Tuesday. Steve McEwen, chair of Lower Penn Parish Council, described the 100MW BESS site proposed for Dimmingsdale as a "monster". He said to planning officers: "We urge you to defer this decision to allow much more careful review and assessment – we need more time"It will impose huge detrimental changes to the community of Lower Penn. "This technology is still at an early stage of development – consequently, risks and safety are in question."Congestion is very serious in Lower Penn, just having 500 metres between these installations is so tight. We're being plundered in Lower Penn."The Orton application was approved by just one vote - but the planning committee agreed to defer their decision on the Dimmingsdale proposal after a site visit. This news has been gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service. Follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.