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Cool Britannia was a name for the period of increased pride in the culture of the United Kingdom in the mid- and late 1990s, inspired by Swinging London from 1960s pop culture. This loosely coincided with the latter years of John Major's conservative government and the 1997 United Kingdom general election, which Tony Blair's New Labour won in a landslide. Britpop and musical acts such as Oasis, Blur, and the Spice Girls were at the forefront. The term—a pun on the title of the British patriotic song "Rule, Britannia!"—reflects renewed optimism in the United Kingdom after the tumultuous 1970s and 1980s.
The phrase "Cool Britannia" reappeared in early 1996 as a registered trademark for one of Ben & Jerry's ice cream flavours which mixed vanilla, strawberries and "fudge-covered shortbread". Channel 4 had a magazine show called "Cool Britannia" in 1996 and 1997.
The election of Tony Blair in 1997 marked a change in tone from the previous Prime Minister, John Major. "Cool Britannia". BBC News. Retrieved 3 February 2015 Blair, who liked to draw attention during his election campaign that he had been in a rock band called Ugly Rumours while in university, invited high-profile musicians to 10 Downing Street for photo opportunities.
The renewal in British pride was symbolised in imagery such as Noel Gallagher's Union Jack guitar and Geri Halliwell's Union Jack dress, worn at the 1997 Brit Awards. "Geri revisits Spice Girls' heyday in Union Jack dress". Hello!. Retrieved 3 February 2015 The Euro 1996 football tournament, hosted in England, is also considered an event that encouraged a resurgence of patriotism, particularly in England. John Major, who was prime minister of Britain at the time, famously took credit (November 1996), accompanied with a press release issued by the Department of National Heritage: "Our fashion, music and culture are the envy of our European neighbours. This abundance of talent, together with our rich heritage, makes 'Cool Britannia' an obvious choice for visitors from all over the world". With his high-profile bouts, world featherweight champion boxer Naseem Hamed is also associated with the era, as are and Lads' Magazines.
Released in 1994, romantic comedy film Four Weddings and a Funeral, featuring one of the era's biggest stars, Hugh Grant, had been an early portent of the new wave of British cinema. Devised by screenwriter Richard Curtis, it set a pattern for British-set romantic comedies, including Sliding Doors (1998) and Notting Hill (1999), the latter also starring Grant. The first Austin Powers film, , co-starring Elizabeth Hurley (who was in a high-profile relationship with Grant), was released in 1997, and with its Cool Britannia influenced take on the Swinging London era it instantly included itself in the same 1990s cultural moment. Danny Boyle’s 1996 film Trainspotting featured a Britpop-heavy soundtrack.
In March 1997, Vanity Fair published a special edition on Cool Britannia with Liam Gallagher and Patsy Kensit on the cover; the title read 'London Swings! Again!'. Figures in the issues included Alexander McQueen, Damien Hirst, Graham Coxon and the editorial staff of Loaded. Tony Blair's speech at the 1996 Labour party conference drew on the optimism of the Euro 96 football championships – accompanied with the summer’s chart-topping anthem “Three Lions”. Alluding to the "thirty years of hurt" lyric in the song (since England last won the World Cup), Blair stated, "Seventeen years of hurt never stopped us dreaming. Labour's coming home". After the Labour party won its landslide, there was even more enthusiasm.
During this time, however, The Economist was commenting that "many people are already sick of the phrase",Leaders: "Cool Britannia". The Economist, London: Mar 14, 1998. Vol. 346, Iss. 8059 and senior Labour politicians, such as Foreign Secretary Robin Cook, seemed embarrassed by its usage. Alan McGee voiced his anger with New Labour's policies: "In a way what Labour are doing - even though deep down in their hearts they are trying to do a good thing - is making it worse for musicians. On one hand you've got Tony Blair and Chris Smith making this thing about Cool Britannia, but on the other hand they're taking away the means for the next generation of artists and musicians to go away and create." By 2000 (after the decline of Britpop as a tangible genre), it was being used mainly in a mocking or ironic way. In 2003, George Michael said "Cool Britannia is a load of bollocks to me".
Two highlight DVDs, Later... with Jools Holland: Cool Britannia 1 & 2, have appeared since 2004. Similar terms have been used regionally for similar phenomena; in Wales and Scotland, "Cool Cymru" and "Cool Caledonia", respectively, have been used.
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