All-Party Parliamentary Group
We engage parliamentarians in our work through The All-Party Parliamentary Group for the British Council and Soft Power (APPG), made up of MPs and peers. Its purpose is to help parliamentarians learn more about and better understand the British Council and its work, at home and abroad, to promote English alongside British education, culture and values; to promote the impact of this soft power; and to support the British Council, offering advice and encouragement in both its everyday and long-term work.
The Group holds regular events and meetings that are advertised in the All-Party Notices. The British Council provides the Secretariat for the Group.
Other activities
We also:
- inform MPs of activity taking place in their constituencies, for example our work with schools like the Connecting Classrooms programme
- hold briefings and meetings for parliamentarians on aspects of our work and our operations in specific countries
- submit factual written evidence to government, Parliamentary Select Committees, political parties and individual parliamentarians, for example in response to a Select Committee inquiry or a Parliamentary Question
- welcome delegations of parliamentarians to our offices and operations around the world, for example when they are on an overseas visit organised by the Inter-Parliamentary Union or the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association.
The British Council also works regularly with parliamentarians to deliver our strategic objectives, building relationships for the UK through English, the arts, education and society. For example, we invite Ministers and parliamentarians to speak at conferences such as our annual Going Global international higher education conference. Where we fund visits abroad by parliamentarians we publish this information.
We work with parliamentarians both in Government and Opposition. We approach parliamentarians based on their potential interest in the British Council and our work, rather than their political affiliation. When approaching speakers for events, we look to present a balance of different political opinions.
Parliamentarian’s expenses
The British Council publishes the details of all visits made by parliamentarians which we have funded or part-funded. This complies with the Information Commissioner’s requirements for a broadening of the information published via our FOI Publication Scheme, and is in line with rules set out by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards.
See all parliamentary expenses reports.
Contact us
For further information on our parliamentary activities, please contact Ciarán Norris, Head of Political Engagement.