British Council could disappear within a decade, says chief executive
British Council could disappear within a decade, says chief executive
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Exclusive: Scott McDonald is looking at budget cuts and axing the organisation’s presence in up to 40 countries. Why the financial crisis at the British Council matters as UK pushes soft power. The British Council could “disappear” within a decade, harming the UK’s global status and leaving an international vacuum to be filled by Russia and China, unless the government acts to save it, according to the council’s leader.
Scott McDonald, the British Council’s chief executive, said he was looking at £250m in budget cuts, losing hundreds of staff and axing the council’s presence in up to 40 countries. McDonald said that without financial guarantees from the government: “I think we’d be in real danger of disappearing, probably over a period of a decade. And I don’t think I’m saying this just for headlines, I think it’s really true.”.
The financial crisis would imperil hundreds of millions of pounds in economic activity generated by the council’s activities, jeopardising Britain’s soft power and cultural influence, with knock-on effects on diplomacy, tourism and international student recruitment.
The council – which independently generates 85% of its nearly £1bn annual revenue from commercial activities such as language classes – has an active presence in 100 countries but is being forced to consider closing down operations in 30 to 40. “That leaves a vacuum in those 30 or 40 countries. There’s no British Council there, promoting the UK and our culture, our education, and so that vacuum gets filled – maybe by allies of ours but maybe also by some non-allies. It opens up for Putin’s Russia to move into these places to teach language and promote culture and capture the minds of young people. So on a broader scale, that’s enormously detrimental,” McDonald said.
