Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the effect on the effectiveness of the Government's promotion of global Britain of the British Council removing its in-country presence from all but 25 countries.

The unprecedented impact of the pandemic required the Government to take tough but necessary decisions on the British Council's global presence and reinforced the need for the Council to do more to adapt to a changing world. We have allocated over £600 million since the pandemic hit to secure the Council's future. Final Spending Review allocations for 2022/2025 will be confirmed after the conclusion of the FCDO business planning process, after which future cultural and other programme activity will be decided. The British Council are in the process of finalising their future operating model, including how professional services will be delivered. Matters relating to workforce planning and talent management are for the British Council to determine.