UK is advised to redirect aid budget into the BBC

Britain should redirect millions of pounds of foreign aid to fund the BBC, universities and museums to increase the Government’s “soft power” after Brexit, a think tank has said.

Doing so would boost trade deals around the world, Respublica claimed.

Phillip Blond, think tank director, said humanitarian aid and military interventions on their own were not enough to help troubled regions, and the UK should switch to a more nuanced approach. He added: “Soft power means bringing together diplomacy, cultural relations and national interest in a way which turns away from relying solely on military intervention and humanitarian aid and instead provides a more holistic way to promote our values and help others.”