BBC World Service funding freeze risks ‘opening door to hostile states’, MPs say

Cross-party committee says service is jewel in crown of UK's soft power' but is diminished by poor governance

Ministers risk opening the door to propaganda from hostile states" and diminishing international trust in the BBC World Service by allowing its funding to be frozen at a crucial time, parliament's spending watchdog has said.

The cross-party public accounts committee (PAC) said it was deeply troubled by the fact the service was still unclear about its funding just weeks before its current deal runs out.It also reiterated the BBC's warnings about the rising influence of Russian and Chinese state-backed media.