The House Article | The Much-Vaunted Soft Power Council Is Drifting Towards Oblivion

Foreign Secretary David Lammy and Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy ahead of the Labour Party Conference in 2023 (PA Images / Alamy)

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At a launch in central London at the start of last year, Lisa Nandy outlined her mission to create jobs and spread influence globally. Rather than cite the work of the Foreign Office or the use of international aid, she instead championed Peaky Blinders and Adele.

Joining her at the launch was the then-foreign secretary David Lammy – a true believer in the power of soft power, brought in to reinvigorate and reinvent the work of the Foreign Office – and 26 leaders in the arts, culture and sports sector.

It wasn’t quite ‘Cool Britannia’ but it seemed to those involved that this was a moment – like the early years of the Blair government – where the country’s leadership in those fields might be fully leveraged to national advantage.

But less than 18 months later, the so-called Soft Power Council is drifting towards oblivion, having not met in full for at least seven months and with many members believing it is doomed.

Why did it fail? Reshuffles both at ministerial and official level and spending cuts are part of the answer.

At its launch, Lammy outlined a manifesto to take advantage of the UK’s huge cultural pull, and the potential power of using it for Britain’s national interest.

“Soft power is fundamental to the UK’s impact and reputation around the world,” he said. “I am often struck by the enormous love and respect which our music, sport… and institutions generate on every continent. But we have not taken a sufficiently strategic approach to these huge assets as a country. Harnessing soft power effectively can help to build relationships, deepen trust, enhance our security and drive economic growth.”

To many, Lammy’s remarks were a signal for welcome change in the department. Allies of Lammy had continually voiced frustration in years previously about the quality of government work on soft power. Under the previous government, too often it was cobbled together at the last minute, or treated as an afterthought.

One founding member says: “I thought the council was a great idea. There was an urgency about it and a sense that the government gets that it is a new era. While the UK needs to build up its hard power, we also still need to make best use of everything we have.”

However, early cuts to international aid and funding trouble at the British Council meant that some believed that the goals were being undermined.

Baroness Chapman, a Foreign Office minister and supporter of soft power work, was simultaneously having to champion its promotion while also being the face of controversial international aid cuts.

Despite the rocky start, council members were still optimistic about the work. Lord Mendoza – the Conservative peer and former Boris Johnson appointee behind the controversial ‘retain and explain’ guidance for contentious statues, monuments and artefacts following the toppling of the Colston statue in 2020 – was very supportive upon the council’s creation.

A council member tells The House that the creation of the body was genuinely groundbreaking: “It is the first time we see a government properly co-ordinating expertise across a broad range of key sectors, like culture, creative, sports, education and science and technology to steer and advise on policy and action.”

Insiders point to the reshuffle of September 2025, and the move of Lammy to justice as the inflection point, which saw the council tip into inactivity.

Another council member says: “It was clearly an initiative that Lisa Nandy and David Lammy worked on, thought of and launched. Their personalities were very prominent at the start of the Soft Power Council; we haven’t had the same rhythm of meeting and engagement since the reshuffle.”

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper was scheduled to attend the latest meeting in Belfast in October but dropped out just before and was replaced by DCMS minister Ian Murray. Another meeting was organised but abruptly cancelled, meaning the full Soft Power Council has not met in seven months.

“We’re still waiting for a signal that they think this is worthwhile. We’ve had some great ministerial meetings but we haven’t had the same one twice – we’re showing up and we’d like the government to.”

It’s clearly a low priority

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Another member says the council has been “neglected” since Cooper took over, and was “clearly a low priority for her”.

“There’s been a hell of a lot to deal with and it’s not at the top of [Cooper’s] priority list, but it would be good to retain the soft power we have.”

Shortly after the reshuffle, the senior civil servant responsible for soft power left the Civil Service, further robbing momentum from the initiative.

An outside contractor was also brought in to assess the success of a soft power strategy altogether. In the meantime, almost all work has ceased. 

One member tells The House: “Where we are at is that it currently feels on hold.”

Much of the ire among council members is directed at Cooper. One council member says: “We would like the current Foreign Secretary to take more of an interest. If you’re involved in this field of work you can see a future where we are marginal.”

Another agrees: “I think [Cooper] hasn’t made a decision, but it’s clearly a low priority”.

While Cooper’s arrival has triggered criticism, Nandy’s inaction since its launch has caused some previously supportive members of the council to turn on her.

“She’s been a complete disappointment. She seems to have no interest in culture whatsoever.”

A government spokesman did not deny the senior departures from the FCDO, or the lack of meetings for over half a year, but claimed the group did contribute to recent cultural visits to China and India.

They said: “The soft power they deliver is creating growth and strengthening our reputation at home and abroad. We are committed to doing all we can to further their reach, as well as promoting the English language overseas.”

With the government on the rocks and political capital quickly waning, the likelihood of a reinvigoration for the council seems low – especially when discussions around hard power and the Defence Investment Plan have become so terse. 

“It’s one of the few effective things created by this government,” one of the council members mused. “Which means they’ll probably kill it.”

An irony of the pause is that while the government has gone cold on the Soft Power Council, foreign nations are taking an increased interest. Members have met and worked with representatives of Saudi Arabia, Ukraine and Oman in recent months, all of whom have taken an interest in the work of the council and replicating it in their own nations.

Meanwhile, some members thought the work of the council could aid the government in one of the problems which led to its freeze: domestic politics.

Council member Vivienne Stern believes that its work should expand into the UK, rather than retract internationally: “This country is in a national funk – you look at the polls… people feel pessimistic. What the Soft Power Council does is bring together a list of reasons to be optimistic. We should lean on it domestically more.”