Boris Johnson has said the UK should stop its “cringing embarrassment” about history and sing Rule, Britannia! at the Last Night of the Proms, as the BBC confirmed the patriotic songs would be performed in instrumental form. The prime minister criticised what he called “self-recrimination and wetness” following reports that the traditional lyrics could be dropped because of their association with imperialism and the Black Lives Matter protests.
The BBC took the rare step of confirming the planned running order on Monday, stating that both Rule, Britannia! and Land of Hope and Glory would be included, but without lyrics. Jerusalem and the national anthem are still expected to be sung in full. The decision was attributed to physical distancing restrictions limiting the number of musicians at the Royal Albert Hall, which had prompted conductor Dalia Stasevska to reconsider how the works are performed.
Right-wing newspapers seized on the story, with the Sun running the headline “Land of woke and glory”. The backlash has raised concerns within the BBC that it is being dragged into a divisive culture war. Stasevska received tens of thousands of abusive messages on Twitter after it was suggested she was considering dropping the songs entirely.
Outgoing BBC director general Tony Hall defended the changes, saying it was “very, very hard” to recreate the traditional atmosphere of the Last Night without a singing audience. He said he expected the lyrics to Rule, Britannia! would be sung again next year. The event was watched by 3.5 million viewers on BBC One last year, with three-fifths aged 65 and over.
