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

<p>Commons report calls on Foreign Office to bail out soft-power flagship reeling from job cuts and asset sales</p><p>Ministers should explore writing off <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/jan/25/why-the-financial-crisis-at-the-british-council-matters-as-uk-pushes-soft-power">a crippling £197m loan</a> to the British Council by converting as much of it as possible into “a grant or similar”, MPs have said.</p><p>The Commons public accounts committee said the government lacked a “positive vision” for the council, whose soft power value to the UK is put at £1bn a year. The MPs called on the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) to set out what more it could do to support the council and its work.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/oct/30/british-council-debt-should-mostly-be-written-off-say-mps">Continue reading...</a>

Reporting by The Guardian World. This summary comes from the cited outlet and will be updated as verified details arrive.