British Council faces more job cuts to help pay off £197m loan

National Audit Office says agency proposes closing operations in 11 countries as part of turnaround plan

The British Council faces cutting its workforce further and closing operations in 11 countries as it struggles to repay a crippling £197m Covid-era government loan that threatens its survival, the public spending watchdog has said.

The UK’s soft-power agency remains loss-making six years on from the pandemic and is not expected to make a profit until 2029-30, a report from the National Audit Office says.