English National Opera’s funding to be cut to zero unless it moves from London

The English National Opera says it has modernised and ‘embraced diversity’ and there is no audience need to move from London. Photograph: Grant Smith/View

The main arts funding body in England has insisted English National Opera, one of the country’s cultural flagships, move outside London in order to qualify for future grants, despite the ENO saying there was no “audience need” to relocate.

Arts Council England’s decision to slash to zero its £12.8m annual grant to ENO has caused a major row, with the opera house’s chief executive saying it was an “absolute travesty”.