Royal Opera House chairman announces rescue package

Twenty-four hours after announcing that the Royal Opera House was on the brink of insolvency, its chairman, Lord Chadlington, last night said a rescue package had been agreed with private donors to provide financial security over the next two years. He would not say who the donors were or how much had been given.

Lord Chadlington has now appeared before the House of Commons Culture Media and Sport select committee twice, and both times he has made a shock announcement about a financial crisis. A Royal Opera House spokesman denied last night that this was in any way intended to deflect MPs from other lines of questioning.