Nandy absence called out as MPs urge greater use of sport as soft power
The government must do more to use sport and the wider culture sector to maximise global soft power, according to an influential MP.
Dame Caroline Dinenage, chair of the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, has criticised the government for staging its Soft Power Council only four times, with the department’s Secretary of State Lisa Nandy only turning up twice. The council has not sat for nearly a year.
“Our sporting showpieces like the Premier League and Wimbledon, and cornerstones of culture such as Glastonbury and the Chelsea Flower Show, are revered around the world and collectively raise billions for the UK economy,” she told Morning Wire.
“And yet these sectors are all too often overlooked by government policy that gives far more attention to other areas of the economy. We need to strain every sinew to ensure that we exploit the benefits they bring to the UK’s reputation on the global stage.”
Sport England states that the sport and physical activity sector contributes around £100bn to the UK economy, while Sheffield Hallam University found its gross value added – a measure of the industry’s actual value – exceeds £50bn.
Nandy called out
The Premier League is the world’s most-watched domestic football competition, while many sports see London and the United Kingdom more widely as an attractive host given its proven appetite from fans to fill seats and buy merchandise.
The Gosport MP added: “The Soft Power Council, launched with great fanfare, does not appear to have met for almost a year. It is unclear what, if any, progress it has made towards coherent soft power strategy.
“The Government must urgently work with our arts, culture and events sectors to ensure the UK makes the most of its enormous soft power potential.”
London will stage the Laver Cup this autumn, while other big events across the country between now and the end of the year include Test and one-day cricket, the Great North Run and the PGA Championship.
DCMS was approached for comment.