The British Council (the UK's international cultural and educational organisation) has announced plans to sell its landmark Palacete building in Madrid's Chamberí district, which has housed its Spanish operations for roughly 70 years and serves around 5,000 English-language students annually. The move is driven by an urgent need to repay a £197 million debt from a Covid-era government emergency loan, with interest due by September, prompting protests from staff and a letter of no confidence signed by nearly 300 of the organisation's 560 employees in Spain. The crisis extends across Europe, with staff in Italy staging a national strike over plans to end English teaching after 80 years, and concerns mounting over the future of British Council properties and services in France and several other European countries, raising fears about the long-term viability of one of Britain's most significant soft-power institutions.