“Changing a country is not like flicking a switch. And the world is now a more volatile place. This will take a while,” Keir Starmer cautioned when he arrived at Downing Street to begin his work as Prime Minister last Friday.

This recognises that the UK’s challenges interrelate with those beyond our borders. Foreign policy was little debated in the general election, but of course the world beyond the UK will have a big impact on life here.

We have spent more than 25 years building partnerships and delivering projects in all parts of the world. This has given us a deep appreciation of the ways to navigate the volatility that the Prime Minister references, and the power of culture to connect people across borders both at home and abroad. These contributions will be helped by a new approach from government that focuses on expertise/evidence.

We believe that the cultural sector can help this government by thinking and acting more laterally and imaginatively about how it can contribute to the government’s ambitions for national renewal.

The sector can improve the UK’s economic performance, spread economic opportunity across the country, reduce demands on the NHS by improving physical and mental wellbeing, enrich the lives and education of young people, and drive the innovation that we need to meet humanity’s biggest challenges, such as climate change and ageing populations.

The new administration will need help. New ministers will arrive in office to bulging inboxes and fierce competition for their attention, amid complex barriers to policy success.

The cultural sector can provide some of the solutions these hard-pressed ministers seek. We know too that the sector wants the new government to flesh-out the welcome, yet broadbrush commitments to culture and creativity contained in the manifesto on which it was elected.

We are reflecting on this at BOP and discussing with our clients and stakeholders. In doing this, some of the themes of this new government – reaching across borders; valuing robust evidence – give us increased confidence that we can help make a difference.

Get in touch with us here to continue the conversation.