BBC U-turn allows Rule Britannia! to be sung at Proms

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LONDON: The BBC on Wednesday said it would allow "Rule Britannia!" and "Land of Hope and Glory" to be sung at the Last Night of the Proms following a political backlash.

Last week the BBC - which organises the annual Proms music festival - had said it would feature only orchestral versions of the pieces because of their associations with colonialism and slavery, in the wake of Black Lives Matter protests. The move sparked a furious public row, with even Prime Minister Boris Johnson getting involved, saying that Britain should halt its "cringing embarrassment about our history".

But in a U-turn on Wednesday, the British broadcaster announced that a "select group of BBC singers" would now perform the patriotic anthems. "This means the words will be sung in the hall, and as we have always made clear, audiences will be free to sing along at home," it said in a statement.

"While it can't be a full choir, and we are unable to have audiences in the hall, we are doing everything possible to make it special and want a Last Night truly to remember."

The UK's culture minister Oliver Dowden responded by tweeting that "common sense has prevailed".