17.01.2025: Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy and Foreign Secretary David Lammy have recruited UK Music Chief Executive Tom Kiehl to the Government’s Soft Power Council. 

The newly assembled Soft Power Council will provide guidance on how government can maximise its soft power assets on an international scale, with a core focus on the UK’s music, culture, sports, education, and technology sectors. Its aim is to enable government to build stronger partnerships domestically and abroad, identifying opportunities to both strengthen the UK’s reach and reputation and boost its influence on the world stage.

A launch event for the new council, co-chaired by Lisa Nandy and David Lammy, is set to be held in London.

UK Music Chair Tom Kiehl said: 

“I would like to thank both David Lammy and Lisa Nandy for appointing me to the Government’s new Soft Power Council.

“Music from across the UK punches above its weight, and it is fantastic that ministers recognise our sector’s ability to generate influence for the UK across the world. From pop to classical and all the other diverse genres across the country, music is ideally placed to enhance the UK’s pivotal position as a Soft Power Superpower and ensure we don’t lose any advantage we have.

“I look forward to serving on the Council to support music’s cultural impact, and work to establish how the industry can realise the further benefits of soft power, including the economic spillovers of encouraging more people to the UK, and attracting greater levels of business investment.”

Left to right: PPL CEO Peter Leathem, Soft Power Minister Baroness Chapman and UK Music Chief Executive at launch of Soft Power Council.

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said: 

“We are determined to strengthen our soft power abroad, and in turn deliver a major boost to our economy, as we focus on our missions to create jobs and spread opportunity across the UK.”

Foreign Secretary David Lammy said:

“I am often struck by the enormous love and respect which our music, sport, education 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.”

Among those joining Tom Kiehl as council members are Tristram Hunt, former MP and Victoria & Albert Museum Director; Sir Peter Bazalgette, former ITV Chair; Dame Linda Dobbs, the first non-white judge in the senior judiciary; Ewan Venters, former boss of Fortnum & Mason and Chair of the GREAT private sector council; and Dame Katherine Grainger, the UK Sport chair and former Olympic rowing champion.

The launch of the Soft Power Council comes after the Commons Foreign Affairs Select Committee recently announced an inquiry into the extent and effectiveness of the UK’s soft power. In 2024, the Global Soft Power Index ranked the UK second overall.

You can read more about the Soft Power Council here.