Since the FCDO and DCMS jointly launched the “Soft Power Council” in January 2025 to advise the government on culture and foreign affairs, it has received almost zero interest from ministers. Guido can reveal that out of four meetings, the Culture Secretary sent apologies to two: SPC 2 on 29 April 2025 and SPC 4 on 9 October 2025. The FT also reports that Yvette Cooper is not showing any enthusiasm…
DCMS is contributing five civil servants to support the council whose seniorities range from SCS2 down to HEO, with a G7 and HEO sitting in the “Joint Soft Power Hub.” Meanwhile the ministers don’t bother to show up…
Emails uncovered by Guido’s FOI Unit show a comically fraught process to kick off the council. The FCDO’s Permanent Under-Secretary reviewed the proposed membership over the weekend of 30 November 2024 and pushed back on the gender balance, asking whether officials could “do better than this on diversity, in particular gender” – suggesting “replacing Nick Carter with a female from the security sector — eg Fiona Hill, or Karen von Hippel.” Crucial concerns…
An FCDO official noted on 3 December that Gen Sir Nick Carter had “already been approached [following a go-ahead from Baroness Chapman] and accepted to join.” The official floated two workarounds: one was to “check with Baroness Chapman if she may want to re-consider Patrick Stevens (not yet approached), and instead invite a woman to join,” the other was “simply to have three members on security, inviting a woman in addition to Comfort Ero and Nick Carter.” Keep in mind the council has done basically nothing since it was formed thanks to government ineptitude…
Minister Jenny Chapman also got involved according to email records, pushing for a delayed start (it was meant to launch in December 2024) and more cash: “The SPC needs a budget. As we are asking for so much time from people, we need to feed them (especially if it goes from 11-2pm) or give them drinks, if timings change.” Drinks crucial for a talking shop…
Read the emails below:
Former leader of the SNP in Westminster Ian Blackford told Times Radio why he believes Nicola Sturgeon’s claim that she spent no time in the kitchen and therefore didn’t see any of her husband’s purchases:
“She doesn’t have a passion for cooking.”