Ukraine is due to the host the contest after Jamala won last year

The future of this year’s Eurovision Song Contest in Kiev is in doubt after a mass resignation of its organisers.

Twenty-one members of Ukraine’s Eurovision committee walked out over the appointment of a new chief official. In a resignation letter they said that they had been “completely blocked” from decisions.

Amid fears that the event would not go ahead, Volodymyr Groysman, the Ukrainian prime minister, tried to allay concerns by saying: “Nothing threatens Eurovision.”

The European Broadcasting Union, which operates Eurovision, urged Ukraine to carry out “speedy and efficient” work.

Preparations for this year’s event have been dogged by problems. Critics say that it is inappropriate to hold it while war is raging in the country’s east, while Orthodox Christians condemned plans to hold the