In early November, The British Foreign Policy Group held a pre-launch discussion for our latest report, ‘Rising Power: Revitalising British Foreign Policy in A New Global Era’ which calls for a comprehensive strategic review of all aspects of our foreign policy which is rooted in a genuinely national public engagement process.

The event was chaired by Former Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, with further comments by Head of Prosperity UK, Alex Hickman and report author, Tom Cargill.

The broader discussion with a diverse audience including representatives from business, government and academia provided a valuable opportunity to challenge and better understand some of the key messages of the report from different viewpoints.

Some of the main topics discussed in more detail include:

1.The need for government to apply strategy when implementing foreign policy and what that strategy might look like.

2. How the UK might better harness its significant resources to bring the necessary results for our security, prosperity and influence.

3. The need to extend the current levels of engagement towards our foreign policy by reaching out to the regions and to younger generations, a crucial step in mending the disconnect between current policy actors and the general public.