BBC World Service faces funding cliff edge in seven weeks, says Tim Davie

As trust in Russia and China’s state broadcasters grows, director general warns of the dangers of cutting back the service

The BBC World Service will run out of funding in just seven weeks with no future deal with the government currently in place, the corporation’s director general, Tim Davie, has warned.

In a last-minute pitch to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), Davie said the uncertainty came as news organisations were cutting their international reporting and disinformation was “flooding the digital sphere at an incredible speed”.

Davie has made securing a new deal for the World Service one of his final priorities before he leaves his role in April.

He and other BBC leaders have been warning of the dangers of cutting back the service, with data suggesting trust in state broadcasters from Russia and China growing around the world.