Centuries have passed since British culture, at the height of its empire, determined universal beauty, social values and education. The British influence once extended beyond colonial rule, building a global following—there’s a reason English remains a global language, bolstered by trade, diplomacy and an enduring ability to tell stories. While British literature, music and film have regained international popularity in the last fifty years—from The Beatles to The Beatles. Harry Potter-The country’s cultural exports have lost their luster after Brexit, except for a few such as hearing broadcasts Bridgerton.
Enter the Labor government, which aims to renew the country’s global influence, investing its soft power through its cultural and artistic industries. To achieve this goal, a “Soft Power Council” has been established, a 26-member advisory body designed to enhance British culture for diplomatic and economic benefits. Foreign Secretary David Lammy made it clear in a statement: “That’s why I created the Soft Power Council to transfer British expertise as we look to rethink Britain’s role in the world, renew alliances and build new relationships.”
Significantly, this decision comes after years of public policies that have cut the UK’s arts and culture budget. Local government funding has fallen by 48 per cent since 2017, and arts courses have been reduced and virtually eliminated from school curricula.
“Soft power is vital to the UK’s impact and its global reputation. I am often attracted by the great love and respect in our music, sports, education and institutions in all continents,” Lammy told the media. “But we have not taken an adequate approach to deal with these big assets as a country. Effective use of soft power can help build relationships, deepen trust, improve our security and drive economic growth.”
The numbers back him up. By 2023, Britain’s cultural sector contributed £36 billion to the economy, supporting 9,755 businesses. The wider creative industries contributed £124.6 billion—5.7 percent of the country’s gross domestic product—employing 2.4 million people.
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Lisa Nandy, Secretary of State for the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, responded twice to the economic dispute at a recent conference. “We are determined to strengthen our soft power overseas and, we will significantly improve our economy as we focus on our work to create jobs and spread opportunities across the UK,” he said. The government is putting money where its mouth is: on January 17, Nandy announced a £60 million boost to creative industries. “From the Premier League once The Peaky Blinders to Adele and the BBC World Service, Britain’s cultural marketing showcases the best of Britain around the world,” he added. “When international investors look to the UK, it is often our historic sporting events, performing arts, media channels and creative industries that make the -The UK has become an attractive place to grow and invest.”
The Soft Power Council will act as an advisory body, bringing together key players from the British cultural scene. Chaired by Lammy and Nandy, the council includes heavyweights such as the director of the Victoria and Albert Museum, Tristram Hunt, the chairman of the Royal College of Art and vice-chancellor Peter Bazalgette and Roland Rudd, a member of the Tate’s board of trustees. Also on board is Ewan Venters, former chief executive of Artfarm, the hospitality arm of Hauser & Wirth—a growing art empire that has effectively blurred the lines between culture and commerce.
A leading nation in cultural development strategies
The UK is currently among the top three countries in all indicators of soft power, proving its long-standing leadership in cultural policy, creative economy research and the art of turning cultural capital into economic growth. For many years, British academics have analyzed and analyzed the impact of the arts and crafts industries, showing how they can spark revitalization and drive local development.
Culture-led development strategies have been in place across England and Wales since the early 2000s, with local councils developing programs that have transformed every region. The creative regeneration of Newcastle and Gateshead in the North of England, for example, is proof that culture is a joint tool for developing human and social capital. In the late 1990s, a local arts and culture organization called Northern Arts convinced the government to support an ambitious revitalization program called the Case for Capital. The strategy included £400 million in the cultural sector, focusing on infrastructure, education and local ownership—an early model of what we now recognize as a “cultural district.”
Newcastle has seized this opportunity by building on its rich cultural heritage, channeling funds into the redevelopment of the historic city centre, Grainger Town, which has created not only new commercial areas but also public art, cultural spaces and social facilities. The figures speak for themselves: 106 new jobs, 286 businesses, 289 new homes, 70 restored buildings and £145 million in private investment attracted to the area. At that time, Gateshead took a different route, choosing to reinvent itself with modern culture and historic cultural sites. The city invested in transforming its neglected Quayside into a world-class cultural hub, joined by the Baltic Center for Contemporary Art (opened in 2002), the state-of-the-art music center Sage Gateshead and the striking, connecting Millennium Bridge. Gateshead’s two-part cultural ambition statement.
These examples of culturally-led local development show that joint investment in both cultural infrastructure and local management not only allows for a complete transformation of cities’ image, vision and attractiveness but also creates new economic and cultural opportunities. Cultural participation increased, communities became more involved and a positive cycle of sustainable development took place, promoting the long-term development of the region.
For decades, the UK has been at the forefront of concepts such as “Creative Cities”, cultural settlements and the strategic use of culture in urban regeneration. British experts have gone further than just applying these ideas—they have measured their impact, measuring how the use of culture promotes innovation and growth. The idea is simple but profound: the more diverse the cultural information available, the more the framework within which people interpret reality and shape their actions. Like Newcastle and Gateshead, cities across Britain have used culture-led regeneration to combat the economic downturn of de-industrialisation, generate alternative income, improve their reputation and improve the overall quality of life.
Meanwhile, institutions such as the British Council have played an important role in promoting cultural exchange and championing the arts industry on the world stage. Although years of bankruptcy threatened the industry’s momentum, it is possible that the situation is finally changing.
Soft power strategies in other parts of the world
In recent years, we have seen how some countries have successfully rewritten their global narratives by making strategic, capital investments in the arts and culture industries. South Korea stands as one of the most prominent examples: since the late 1990s, the South Korean government has strongly supported its entertainment industry, seeing it as a vehicle for both national branding and economic growth. The result was a seemingly unstoppable “Korean wave”, which began with the infectious hooks of K-pop and a readiness to binge on K-dramas but has since expanded into art, fashion, beauty, food and language learning. Meanwhile, South Korea borrowed liberally from Japan’s playbook, which propelled its culture to global prominence in the ’90s and early 2000s. But unlike its neighbor, Japan’s cultural dominance faded, and despite recent efforts by the Japanese government to regain lost ground, it has yet to recreate the same level of foreign influence.
Meanwhile, cultural budgets have become more powerful in the US, one of the biggest surprises being Governor Ron DeSantis’ veto of Florida’s $32 million state budget, which affects more than 600 organizations. NYC’s Department of Cultural Affairs has also faced budget cuts of more than $25 million in recent rounds, forcing many agencies’ budgets into deficits and forcing them to cut staff, programs and services, even though these agencies are estimated to contribute at least $110 billion to the city’s economic activity. . The uproar over the controversial decision eventually forced New York City Mayor Eric Adams to reconsider—ultimately restoring $111 million in annual cultural funding.
Although Trump’s agenda does not say anything about culture, and there is nothing about cultural policies in his first speech celebrating “America’s golden age,” his administration is expected to have a major impact on this sector. Current concerns center on trade, particularly the tariffs he wants to impose, but broader concerns overshadow the path his policies may take. Artists and institutions are already looking at further reductions in funding and a constant stream of research.
