Emily worried

The Chair of the Commons Foreign Affairs Select Committee, Dame Emily Thornberry MP, is fearful for the BBC World Service

"The Spending Review provided no clarity or concrete commitment to fund the British Council and the BBC World Service, both of which rely heavily on FCDO funding and do a huge amount of heavy lifting when it comes to our soft power offering. If we aren’t proactive in maintaining our global influence, we can expect our standing to diminish, and for autocratic states to fill the vacuum we leave"