Plans being considered to put on sale 9,000 works owned collectively by the public place a vital cultural asset in jeopardy

Last month we all saw striking images of Emmanuel Macron standing in front of the Mona Lisa to announce plans for the major renovation of the Louvre. France is immensely proud of its national collection. The Louvre “renaissance” will cost an estimated €700-800m (£583-£666m). The five-year renovation of the Pompidou Centre, housing an extensive modern and contemporary art collection, will cost €262m. Accommodating more visitors and ensuring everyone can see the treasures of the collections is important to these French institutions and their funders.

I wish there was such good news on this side of the Channel. Recent reports that the British Council has been contemplating selling its art collection have shocked us all. The British Council holds works from artists including Henry Moore, Tracey Emin, Lucian Freud and David Hockney, and shows them globally. It is our public face to the world. Yet chief executive Scott McDonald has said that due to a £250m pandemic-era emergency loan from the Foreign Office, with interest charged at £14m annually, the Council faces the “threat of insolvency”.