Select committee: Foreign Affairs Committee
Recommendation 15
Fourth Report: A brave new Britain? The future of the UK’s international policy
Published 22 Oct 2020
Paragraph 18
Addressed to Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
Foreign Affairs Committee The FCDO and the Integrated Review All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Recommendation (the committee's words)
Soft power is key to the UK’s international influence. It is about much more than culture: the way it is used by some nations suggests it is the entire capability of the state short of war, for others it is the power of attraction. The Government must not become complacent about the UK’s advantages in this space, and the risk of their erosion. It should respond to the desire abroad for the UK to lead, and set a positive example, in new and innovative ways. We recommend that the Government publishes a coherent and credibly resourced soft power strategy. Given the range of contributors to UK soft power and the numbers of HMG Departments involved, we recommend that the Government gives an enhanced coordinating role to FCDO so that this strategy can be implemented in a cohesive and impactful way.
From: Foreign Affairs Committee, Fourth Report: A brave new Britain? The future of the UK’s international policy (HC 380), paragraph 18, 22 October 2020
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 13 January 2021 (deadline 22 December 2020).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government agrees with many of the Committee's recommendations and its assessment of global trends, but disagrees with the characterisation of UK international policy as "adrift" and with the claim that Britain abroad is less than the sum of its parts.
- It disagrees with the claim that "Britain abroad is less than the sum of its parts", saying the creation of the FCDO "enables integration of international development and foreign policy".
- On the Integrated Review's priorities, it says it "would not want to prejudge" the review's outcomes on conflict resolution and soft power, and that the Review "will be published in the new year".
- It does not agree on the need to establish diplomatic missions to leading technology companies, believing engagement "should utilise the existing relationships government holds with key businesses in the sector".
- On aid, it says it will "return to spending 0.7 of GNI on ODA when the fiscal situation allows", having temporarily reduced spending to 0.5% of GNI.