The Hay Festival has today announced that they have suspended sponsorship from Baillie Gifford, a company who are said to have links to Israel.

Posting on social media, CEO of Hay Festival Global, Julie Finch, said: “In light of claims raised by campaigners and intense pressure on artists to withdraw from Hay Festival Hay-on-Wye 2024, we have taken the decision to suspend our sponsorship from Baillie Gifford.

“Our first priority is to our audience and our artists. Above all else, we must preserve the freedom of our stages and spaces for open debate and discussion, where audiences can hear a range of perspectives.

“Hay Festival Global is a charity. We are grateful to all those artists, partners and audiences who engage and contribute to the conversation, on stage and off.

“We look forward to welcoming you this fortnight, in person and online.”