Chancellor allocates 'increase in funding' for BBC World Service
The BBC World Service has been given an "increase in funding" as part of the Budget that will allow for the corporation's language services to keep going. Under its current support package, the BBC had agreed not to close any language services on the World Service - but this condition had been set to be lifted in 2025.
The international broadcaster, owned and operated by the corporation, receives a grant of £104.4 million from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), and is predominantly funded by the UK licence fee. Chancellor Rachel Reeves delivered the first Labour Budget since 2010 to the House of Commons on Wednesday.
The Budget says: "In 2025-26, the (FCDO) settlement provides an increase in funding to the BBC World Service, protecting existing foreign language service provision and its mission to deliver globally trusted media, in support of the UK's global presence and soft power."
A BBC statement said the broadcaster "welcomed the funding", along with being "pleased the Government has acknowledged the strong case for investing in the World Service".
It added: "Today's announcement will enable us to maintain all of our existing language services, to continue fighting disinformation around the world, and also to provide emergency information services to those in crisis, as we have recently done in Gaza, Sudan and Ukraine.
"However, despite today's announcement, the BBC World Service is not immune to the immense pressures facing the rest of the BBC - freezes to the BBC licence fee, materially significant global inflation, and the need to make investments for tech and digital upkeep." The statement added it will "need to work through the detail", and say more on the settlement soon.