British Council staff in Italy to strike over proposed 80% workforce cut 2026

Key Points

• Staff at the British Council in Italy plan strikes after proposals to cut about 80% of teaching staff across Rome, Milan and Naples.
• Of 130 teaching staff, 108 are targeted for redundancy, effectively ending 80 years of British Council English language teaching in Italy, sources say.
• Protests are scheduled at the British embassy in Rome, with a further strike planned for 4 June.
• The British Council’s financial crisis stems from a £197m government loan taken during the Covid pandemic, with annual interest of about £14m and repayment due in September.
• An internal consultation reportedly lists 784 jobs “in scope” across the UK and Europe, with at least 404 roles expected to be displaced.
• The organisation’s chief executive Scott McDonald has warned the British Council could “disappear” within a decade without government intervention.
• The Italian General Confederation of Labour (CGIL) condemned the proposed cuts as a political choice that removes cultural cooperation and opportunities.
• The British Council says exams provision would continue via partners and cultural events would remain, while teaching activities in Italy would be heavily reduced.
• Consultations are under way in France, Spain and Portugal; the crisis threatens the council’s three main income streams: teaching, exams and development contracts.
• MPs and select committee hearings have heard the council is “nearly insolvent” and running out of options despite negotiations with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).

London (Britain Today News) May 20, 2026 – British Council have announced strikes after the organisation proposed cutting roughly 80% of its teaching workforce in Italy, a development that staff and union leaders say would end almost a century of English-language teaching and severely diminish Britain’s cultural presence in the country.

The proposed redundancies — targeting 108 of 130 teaching roles across Rome, Milan and Naples — come amid a funding crisis tied to a £197m government loan taken during the Covid pandemic, which the British Council must begin repaying this September. The organisation says it is restructuring to secure its long-term survival; unions and staff call the move a political choice that destroys cultural ties.

Why are British Council staff in Italy striking?

British Council told staff that teaching activities in Italy face the axe. The Italian General Confederation of Labour (CGIL) said on Instagram:

“The British Council in Italy is about to lay off 108 out of 130 employees and masks this political choice of the British government behind an alleged corporate crisis.”

CGIL added that the council is “a cultural institution, not a corporation,” and argued that mass redundancies “deprive Italy” of cultural and educational cooperation.

Who will be affected by the proposed cuts?

The cuts would primarily hit English language tuition staff: adult and children’s classes, corporate and business courses. Sources say the exams division would continue through partner organisations and cultural events would be preserved, but the teaching footprint would shrink dramatically, ending 80 years of continuous British Council English-language teaching in Italy.

What is the financial cause of the crisis?

The British Council took a government loan of £197m during the Covid pandemic, agreed under the Conservative government led by Boris Johnson. The loan carries a reported annual interest bill of about £14m and must be repaid by September. In testimony to MPs in October, chief executive Scott McDonald told the foreign affairs select committee the organisation was “nearly insolvent.” McDonald has warned the council could “disappear” within a decade unless the government intervenes.

What have British Council leaders said about the emergency?

Scott McDonald, the British Council’s chief executive, has repeatedly raised the alarm. As reported by the Guardian, McDonald told MPs the organisation faced “real financial peril” and that despite 16 months of negotiations with the FCDO, progress had stalled. In a separate account attributed to reporting in Politico, internal consultation documents were cited showing 784 jobs “in scope” across the UK and Europe, with at least 404 roles expected to be “displaced,” amounting to about 15% of staff internationally.

When and where will staff protest?

Staff and unions have organised protests and strike action in response to the proposals. The CGIL said shocked staff will protest next Thursday at the British embassy in Rome, with another strike planned for 4 June. Union statements and staff testimonies describe deep anger and sadness, with one source quoted by The Guardian saying:

“Everybody is very shocked, very upset, very sad, obviously also very angry as well. Because our presence will be so small at the end of all this, it’s a very strong political message that Italy isn’t important.”

How will these cuts affect British soft power?

Commentators and British Council leadership have framed the cuts as damaging to the UK’s soft power. Scott McDonald warned, as reported by The Guardian, that a diminished British Council risks leaving an international vacuum that could be filled by geopolitical rivals. The organisation’s mission to promote British culture and education worldwide — through teaching, exams and development projects — is central to the UK’s diplomatic reach; shrinking its presence in Italy weakens those cultural ties.
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What income streams have been hit since Covid?

MPs were told the council’s three main income streams — teaching, exams and development contracts, which account for about 85% of turnover — have been squeezed by the pandemic and subsequent reductions in UK development spending. The council also receives grant-in-aid from the FCDO, which last year amounted to £162m, roughly 15% of total income. With US development aid diminished and fewer projects available, the council has struggled to replace lost revenue, according to statements to parliament and committee testimony.

What do staff say about the proposed changes?

Multiple staff sources, cited by Guardian reporting, described a mood of disbelief and anger. One source said:

“It’s devastating; it’s more than jobs — it’s about cultural exchange and language learning that has existed for generations.”

The CGIL framed the cuts as a political decision that masks budgetary problems. Staff emphasised that while exams and some cultural programming might continue, the loss of teachers would deprive communities of day-to-day educational services and long-standing partnerships with Italian schools and businesses.

What are the next steps for the British Council and the government?

The British Council has said it must restructure to manage the loan repayment and secure its future. It maintains that some services will be preserved through partners and that consultations are ongoing in other European countries including France, Spain and Portugal. MPs and the FCDO have been engaged in talks, but according to Scott McDonald’s testimony to the foreign affairs select committee, those negotiations have not yet produced a rescue plan. With loan repayment looming in September, urgency is increasing.

How are politicians and MPs responding?

Parliamentary scrutiny has focused on the loan’s terms and the government’s role. In October, McDonald’s comments to MPs prompted questions about whether the government should provide further support to sustain the British Council’s network. Some MPs have warned that loss of capacity overseas would be a foreign policy error; others have pressed for clarity on the loan’s terms and possible alternatives to mass redundancies.

Why does this matter to Italy and to UK–Italy relations?

For eight decades the British Council provided English teaching and cultural programmes that created educational pathways, diplomatic ties and business links between the UK and Italy. As CGIL put it, the council is “a cultural institution” that fosters cooperation; a dramatic reduction in teaching staff would curtail access to English-language education and diminish people-to-people ties that underpin broader bilateral relations.

With strike action set to begin and a repayment deadline looming, the British Council’s plans to cut teaching roles in Italy have triggered union fury, staff grief and urgent political scrutiny. The immediate future for the council — and for Britain’s cultural presence in Italy — hangs on whether the organisation and the FCDO can find a path that preserves core activities while stabilising finances.