Prior to the Brexit referendum the great and the not so good thundered that the UK would lose influence and be isolated if it dared to leave the EU. The grown-ups told us it would be cold outside, with no-one interested in who we are or what we thought. It was yet another of their false forecasts.

Confounding all ‘the experts’, the UK’s soft power ranking has increased since Brexit

In the 2025 survey of countries with the most soft power, the UK comes in third place after the superpowers USA and China. It is two places ahead of Germany, the best placed EU country. When we were in the EU prior to 2016 Germany was ahead of us in the rankings. It always seemed likely to me that the UK would have more influence if it wishes to exercise it once out.

For example, we could not have our own trade policy whilst in the EU and had to stand down from our place around the table of the World Trade Organisation for the EU to represent us. They did so in a protectionist way, wishing to keep high tariff barriers in a number of areas. Now we are out of the EU we can be a good influence for freer trade with our own voice at the meetings. This is even more important now the US has gone protectionist in retaliation against China and the EU.

The source of ‘the Anglosphere’

As the second biggest member of NATO we have good influence over defence matters. As a leading member of the Five Eyes grouping of the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand we have access to the best intelligence in the free world.

Our language and cultural reach are wide ranging. President Trump understood this well when he drew attention to UK achievements alongside the USA, now the leader of the democratic world. There is a vital partnership of the English-speaking nations, led by the US and UK, including our friends in the Commonwealth and the US's allies.

The undermining of this success: “Humiliating… expensive… craven… ill judged… feeble… weak…”

It is possible however, to undermine this soft power success. The present government is coming across as a soft touch government. The EU re-set negotiations are humiliating, with the UK giving more and more away with still no sign of anything positive we might want. Giving away the fish for some alleged improvements to access for farm products was a very expensive bad deal, but to add freedom of movement to it as well is a disaster.

Giving both the Chagos islands and a huge wad of money over 99 years to Mauritius when their international courts have no authority to make us inflict such self-harm is craven. Setting out to establish a coalition of the willing for Ukraine was ill judged without US backing, but it became feeble when it appeared that President Macron had taken on the leadership of the UK's bad idea. Announcing with a fanfare we will smash the gangs, and then showing the government just lets many more illegals in, looks weak.

From being a major soft power to becoming a soft touch? Our global reputation is now at stake

Soft power requires us to be good at diplomacy as well as having a great back story of past achievements and a modern cultural flowering. If we go on like this we will get a reputation as being a big soft touch. That will prove to be a good way to undermine our reputation for soft power. It will weaken our economy and make it difficult to do good deals.

- By the Rt Hon Sir John Redwood PC, MA, MPhil, DPhil, FCSI, Distinguished Fellow of All Souls
19 September 2025

Also published in Sir John's excellent diary here.