Arts sector responds to Labour election victory

Addressing funding challenges and improving creative education opportunities are among the main asks of the new Labour government from organisations across the arts and culture sector.

Speaking outside 10 Downing Street today, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that change may take time but work to achieve it will begin immediately.

And arts and culture leaders are already setting out what they want the Labour government to focus on.

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Paul W Fleming, General Secretary of performers' union Equity, said the new government must "get to grips" with the performing arts and entertainment sector.

“We’ll be pressing the new administration to set out a long-term plan for UK arts funding to reach the European average, to tackle the high upfront fees charged by casting directories, to make Universal Credit fairer for freelancers, to ensure public subsidy only supports work on decent union terms, and to fight for better rights in the video games and TV commercials sector," he said.

“There are no creative industries without this incredible workforce. It’s time politicians stand up and offer them the same recognition that is offered by audiences across the world.”

'Huge challenges'

Caroline Norbury, Chief Executive of Creative UK, the national membership body for the Cultural and Creative Industries, described Labour's victory as a "moment of change" that offers the sector an opportunity to maximise growth and resilience.

"We face huge challenges that we need creativity to overcome, since innovation and collaboration are critical to prosperity, health and our place in the world," she said.

"It’s artists and creatives who imagine a better future for us all – telling the stories that bring us together, inspiring our future leaders, and helping governments work smarter."

Norbury said that, based on statements made during the election campaign, the indications are that new government will place the cultural and creative Industries at the heart of industrial strategy.

"What we need now is policy into practice," she said.

"The prioritisation of a transformative curriculum which values creativity and develops our capability. Bold approaches to funding and finance through patient capital, with the Treasury focused properly on growth. Investment in regions and communities, in order to really help creative organisations thrive. For our sector to top the list of public investment priorities, reflecting its size, contribution and potential.

"For Creative UK, now’s the time to really roll up our sleeves and ensure that this new UK Government delivers the best in these areas and more."

Speaking to The Art Newspaper, Sally Bacon, co-Chair of the Cultural Learning Alliance said her organisation would like the English Baccalaureate, which excludes arts subjects, to be scrapped.

"Labour’s planned curriculum and assessment review to be really bold and ambitious, and first address the purposes of schooling, so that equal curriculum areas, including the expressive arts, can be mapped onto new, clear purposes," she said.

"We need a future-facing and well-rounded educational experience for all students."

Growth opportunities

Meanwhile, Tom Kiehl, Chief Executive of UK Music, called on Starmer to use his “resounding mandate for change” to boost jobs, growth and opportunity in the sector. 

“[Starmer] has an immense passion for music. We share his passion and the music industry is keen to continue working with him to ensure everyone can benefit from the important life skills that learning a music instrument with the help of brilliant teachers can bring – as Keir himself has acknowledged," he said.
 
“We have lost 1,000 music teachers from our secondary schools since 2012. That poses a huge risk to the talent pipeline on which our sector relies and deprives thousands of young people of an enjoyable and rewarding career. 
 
“We will work with the members of the new government – which has promised to recruit 6,500 new teachers – and strive to reverse that damaging decline."
 
And Ellie Peers, General Secretary of the Writers' Guild of Great Britain called for a "better deal for UK writers", saying they have too often been "underpaid, unprotected and overlooked, in an industry that is struggling to survive".

“As we spell out in our manifesto, the new administration must protect, support and nurture UK writers by introducing protections on fair pay and fair treatment, ensure our creative industries are sustainable, and – in a world being revolutionised by AI – introduce robust protections on copyright," she said.

"In short, it must put writers where they belong – at the heart of the story.”