In a huge u-turn from last week, the BBC have confirmed that Rule Britannia and Land of Hope & Glory WILL be sung at Last Night of the Proms this year.
Last week the channel said that, while both songs would be part of the programme when the annual event returns for 2020, they would only be instrumentals, after concerns were raised that their lyrics were associated with colonialism and slavery.
But on Wednesday afternoon, the BBC confirmed the songs will now be sung at the Proms.
A statement read: "We have been looking hard at what else might be possible and we have a solution. Both pieces will now include a select group of BBC Singers. 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.
"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.
"We hope everyone will welcome this solution. We think the night itself will be a very special moment for the country - and one that is much needed after a difficult period for everyone. It will not be a usual Last Night, but it will be a night not just to look forward to, but to remember."
Hours after clashing with an activist on Good Morning Britain about calls to ban Rule Britannia, Piers Morgan celebrated the news on Twitter, writing: "Those who think the BBC/Rule Britannia! fiasco was a fuss about nothing trumped up by right-wingers don't understand that many liberals, like me, feel just as strongly about it.
"Patriotic pride in one's country & its history is not exclusive to right-wingers, or a bad thing.
And it matters because the BBC should not be caving to the woke mob & making us all feel ashamed to be British."
