BBC sinks lyrics of Rule Britannia

LONDON — The BBC has ditched the lyrics of Rule Britannia! for its traditional end-of-summer concert amid a debate about the song’s celebration of the British Empire at a time when critics are re-evaluating the nation’s colonial past.

Britain’s publicly funded broadcaster said late Monday that the final night of its Proms concert series would feature instrumental versions of Rule Britannia! and another patriotic mainstay, Land of Hope and Glory, instead of traditional singalongs.

The BBC said it changed this year’s event in light of “muchreduced musical forces” and because there would be no live audience due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But critics accused the broadcaster of caving in to political correctness and pressure from social justice campaigners.

The controversy arose Sunday when the Sunday Times newspaper reported that the BBC was considering scrapping the songs amid concerns about their “perceived association with colonialism and slavery.’’

Dalia Stasevska, the 35-yearold Finn who will conduct the concert, had pushed to modernize the event and reduce the “patriotic elements,’’ the newspaper said, without citing a source for the information.

A classical musical festival held at the Royal Albert Hall every summer, the Proms has always featured a triumphant emotional singalong on its final day. It is a flag-waving fixture on the calendar and is seen as an expression of national pride in Britain.