The funding increase is designed to support impartial reporting worldwide, maintaining independence and reliability as global misinformation intensifies.

Further government figures on the next three years’ aid budget are expected to be published later.

Additional government details on aid-budget allocation for the coming three years are anticipated in due course.

Britain will boost funding for the BBC World Service to ensure independent, accurate journalism remains trusted amid rising disinformation, underscoring the UK’s security and cultural-soft-power interests.

Rivals such as Russia and China are noted for increasing state-backed media spending, totaling billions annually, while the World Service has faced spending pressures.

Britain’s extra funding amounts to about 11 million pounds per year for three years, yielding an overall uplift of around 8% and a 42% increase versus 2024-25.

The World Service’s overall funding will be about 42% higher than the 2024-25 level, with an 8% uplift from the previous year, bringing its budget to roughly 333 million pounds over three years.

Funding for the World Service comes from the BBC licence fee and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, with past real-terms cuts contributing to financial pressures.

Observers warn that funding uncertainty could weaken the World Service’s ability to counter hostile narratives and maintain trust amid heightened information pressure.

The World Service operates in 43 languages with an estimated weekly audience of around 313 million, facing competition and scrutiny from observers like the Public Accounts Committee.

The funding package includes a confirmation from the Foreign Secretary, tied to a multi-year agreement to reduce budgeting uncertainty.

The move is presented as a strategic soft-power investment within broader UK aid adjustments to counter disinformation and state-sponsored propaganda.