It’s time to defund the British Council

It received £1.20 billion from taxpayers between 2020-24

Above: A film submitted as part of the British Council’s “Five Films for Freedom” programme

Over the last few years I have been keeping a beady eye on the activities of the British Council, which taxpayers were charged £1.20 billion for between 2020-24.

The charity says it “creates friendly knowledge and understanding between the people of the UK and other countries.” It is the perfect example of what Establishment types call “soft power”; an institution that apparently reinforces what a great country the UK is and strengthens its global ties. British Council employees have even been awarded MBEs “for services to UK Soft Power”.

In reality, the British Council is a woke horror-show, as shown in its recent grant scheme only applicable to organisations that are “diverse-led and/or working with underrepresented voices and either completely new to international work or just starting to work beyond the UK.”


Read more

More Articles

DOGE UK
24 August 2026

What on earth does THIS mean?

Would anyone mind if sociology was cancelled as a discipline?
DOGE UK
23 August 2026

Weekly round-up: Hackney’s “Migrant Champion”, the Globe’s “Climate Playwriting Prize” and the Leveson Lobby

A round-up of my articles this week:
DOGE UK
20 August 2026

Shakespeare’s Globe hunts for “the most exciting new plays about the climate crisis”

It’s what Shakespeare would have wanted!
DOGE UK
19 August 2026

Hackney Council announces its “first ever Migrant Champion”

“She’ll be a voice for migrant communities... ensuring their needs are heard”