Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the BBC World Service on UK soft power and diplomacy.

The former UN Secretary-General described the BBC World Service as 'perhaps Britain's greatest gift to the world'. Independent studies show that the BBC's global reputation contributes to perceptions of the UK as an attractive and trusted country. Against the backdrop of increased global competition, a new, hard-nosed strategy for soft power is crucial if we are to sustain the UK's international standing. The Foreign Secretary and Culture Secretary are establishing a new Soft Power Council to advise us on how we can support UK soft power at source and harness it effectively overseas. This will include the media. Tapestry Research carried out an international study in 2022, finding the BBC to be a particularly impactful British cultural export. It found, for example, that audiences who interacted with the BBC are more likely to want to visit the UK and invest in it.