Lords Committee on Soft Power to report
The House of Lords Committee on Soft Power and the UK's Influence will publish its report on Friday 28 March.
The Committee has been considering the UK's reputation and influence overseas, and how the country should respond to the challenges of an increasingly interconnected 21st-century world to ensure that we continue to punch our weight on the international scene.
Recent events in Ukraine have shown the importance of achieving the right balance between ‘soft power' and more traditional techniques for wielding global influence. Soft power involves generating international impact through influencing other countries to want the same things as the UK, by building positive international relationships and coalitions which defend our interests and security, uphold our national reputation and promote our trade and prosperity – as distinct from using force or coercion such as sanctions.
The Committee began its inquiry in June 2013 and has taken evidence from a wide range of witnesses including former Prime Minister Sir John Major; Rt Hon Maria Miller MP; the British Council; the BBC World Service; the Ministry of Defence, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Home Office; Richard Scudamore of the Premier League and the England and Wales Cricket Board; the Lord Mayor of London and UK-based exporters; experts in nation brands; and former Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs at the US Department of State, Tara D. Sonenshine.
The report will be published on Friday 28 March. Embargoed copies of the report will be available to the media from 11:00am on Wednesday 26 March. The report will be strictly embargoed until 00:01 on Friday 28 March.
