Interpreting the 'rebranding of Britain'

Improvements made by the Labour government after 1997 in the projection of Britain overseas, sometimes called 'rebranding', were part of the contest between the political parties. The reform agenda of New Labour in opposition included modernizing the constitution, and placing the country in the forefront of the world's knowledge economy. But diplomats were already familiar with marketing techniques as a result of new methods of public/private partnership in the delivery of services, and of commercial sponsorship of cultural events. The British Council had reformed itself. Dissent in the Conservative Party after the Treaty of Maastricht gave New Labour an opportunity to adopt a 'creative nation' approach and to be more constructive within the European Union. The Millennium celebrations set the tone. But there has been no fundamental change in the making of foreign policy.