Source · Select Committees · National Security Strategy (Joint Committee)
Recommendation 4
4
Acknowledged
Soft power is a crucial source of UK influence and security abroad.
Conclusion
Soft power is a crucial source of UK influence and security abroad. Its erosion would have direct security consequences, most clearly in Africa, where Russia and China are increasingly filling the space left by the withdrawal of the soft power presence of the UK and allies. Official Development Assistance and bodies such as the BBC World Service and the British Council play an important role in regions where the UK has clear security interests. The recent funding commitments to the BBC World Service are welcome in this regard. (Conclusion, Paragraph 32) 61
Government Response Summary
The government agreed on the vital role of soft power and described its ongoing efforts, including the establishment of the UK Soft Power Council and a refined ODA approach focused on stability and conflict prevention, while ensuring stable grant funding for key institutions.
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
The Government agrees that soft power is a vital source of UK influence and security, particularly in regions facing growing instability and strategic competition. That is why the Government has established the UK Soft Power Council, made up of leaders from the UK’s soft power and international policy sectors. The UK’s bilateral relationships with key partners are broader than simply how much aid we spend, which is why the UK is transforming our country’s development partnerships, reflecting the changing needs of our partners as part of our development reset. Official Development Assistance remains an important part of our broad soft power toolkit, alongside diplomacy, defence and trade. That is why, even while taking difficult decisions to reduce the aid budget in order to increase defence spending in a more dangerous world, we are protecting the effectiveness of our development offer and modernising how we deliver it. Our ODA is increasingly focused on fragile and conflict-affected states, where instability can be exploited by malign actors and where development, humanitarian action and security are most closely linked. We are also backing institutions that project UK values and reach at scale. In that context, the Government’s increased grant funding for the BBC World Service and the British Council demonstrates our firm commitment to trusted media, cultural, and educational links. The Government recognises the importance of understanding the national security implications of changes to the Official Development Assistance budget. Decisions to reduce ODA were taken in the context of the most serious security pressures in a generation, but they were not taken lightly. That is why we have changed our approach to focus ODA more sharply on fragile and conflict-affected contexts and on interventions that support long-term stability, resilience and conflict prevention. We welcome scrutiny of the UK’s development approach and are engaging constructively with the International Development Committee’s inquiry. Transparency, predictability and value for money are central to the new three-year ODA settlements, which provide greater funding certainty than in recent years. The Government also agrees on the importance of stable grant funding for key soft power institutions, while noting that government grants are not the primary source of funds for either the BBC World Service or the British Council. The Government is continuing to draw on the advice and expertise of the UK Soft Power Council. As part of a whole-of-government approach to risk, we shall continue to ensure that assessments of national resilience and international risk take account of the role of UK soft power.