Ahdaf Soueif resigns from British Museum board, criticizing BP sponsorship and staff treatment

Egyptian novelist Ahdaf Soueif resigned as a trustee of the British Museum, publishing a critical blog in the London Review of Books. She joined the board in June 2012 and condemned the museum's sponsorship from oil giant BP, arguing it could secure funding elsewhere but prioritizes business ties over global youth concerns. Soueif also attacked the outsourcing of cleaning staff to Carillion, a facilities management firm that collapsed last year, noting the museum refused to rehire those workers directly. Her departure follows the museum's annual review, where director Hartwig Fischer defended the BP partnership, stating ending it wouldn't solve environmental challenges. In 2016, activists Art Not Oil alleged the museum violated its rules by excluding trustees from sponsorship decisions. Recent years have seen similar protests: actor Mark Rylance left the Royal Shakespeare Company over BP ties, while Tate dropped BP in 2016 and Shell parted with the National Gallery in 2018. In April 2019, artist Andrea Fraser told ArtReview that institutions need policies on patron ethics, but J.J. Charlesworth countered that funding purity can be regressive. This month, American artist Michael Rakowitz, who withdrew from the Whitney Biennial over board member Warren Kanders, noted progress when Whitechapel Gallery consulted him on funding preferences. Soueif is known for novels like 'In the Eye of the Sun' (1992) and Booker-shortlisted 'The Map of Love' (1999).