John Baron MP leads debate on the future of soft power

MP: British Council closures must not go ahead

Yesterday John Baron MP led a Westminster Hall debate on the future of soft power. John is the Chairman of the British Council All-Party Parliamentary Group.

In the debate, John said,

“We have to do more to realise that democracy needs defending. We have to step up to the plate – not just this country, but the west generally – and commit sufficient resources to ensure that we can talk softly, which we should always do first, but carry a big stick, because the big stick reinforces the weight of the soft diplomacy.”

“This country should be proud. We have the BBC World Service, the British Council, our music industry, our culture, our values and the rule of law. There is little doubt…that the UK is the world’s soft power superpower…”

“There is, however, growing competition for influence. We can not stand still. Individual states, many of them not democratic, are looking to invest and are investing to enhance their soft power around the world. Cultural institutes such as the British Council are an effective way of doing so, and one which truly global nations all employ.”

“The British Council wants to be ambitious about what it delivers for the UK, in partnership with the FCDO, when the world reopens for business and manages the shock of Russian aggression in Eastern Europe….looking at the CSR budget going forward…we were delighted to see a 21% increase in funding for the FCDO over a three-year period…Yet, we now find that further cuts are being proposed to the British Council…”

“I implore the Minister to…ensure that there are no further country closures, because the British Council is already having to deal with 20 from the previous cuts. Any more would hardly fit with the ambition and concept of Global Britain. We need to show solidarity with our friends and allies, not only to counter the rising threat of autocracy around the world, but to secure much-needed trade deals for the UK.”

Responding the Minister, Rt Hon Amanda Milling MP, said that she agreed with John’s appraisal, including that of the British Council, and that the FCDO is still working on the British Council’s funding settlement.

John said afterwards,

“Soft power is a key battleground in the current worldwide battle for democracy. For too long the west has harvested the peace dividend after the Cold War believing the concept of democracy required little investment. However, it is a fragile concept which needs nurturing, encouraging and protecting. The Government needs to commit more resources to both its hard and soft power capabilities, and would therefore be ill-advised to require the British Council to cut its international footprint still further. As the Defence Secretary once agreed with me, there should be more of the British Council in the world, not less.”

Notes to Editors:

• A full transcript of the debate is available online at: https://bit.ly/3KWTDZn.