“It’s almost too late for festivals” warns campaign group

The Let LIVE Thrive campaign has written an open letter to Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden warning that unless the Government acts now, major live events could be cancelled in 2021. The letter points out that, despite the start of the mass vaccination programme, festivals, theatre productions and sports events remain under threat.

The group, which includes politicians, leaders from the arts and sport, and representatives from the insurance industry, is calling on the Government to underwrite a contingency insurance product. This would enable organisers to risk planning events that could be cancelled due to further Covid restrictions.

They point out that the threat from Coronavirus has "decimated the viability of the contingency insurance market for insurers, meaning that event organisers are unable to access Covid-specific cover". Without such insurance, the letter says, it will be impossible to run events in 2021 – regardless of social distancing requirements.

Signatories to the letter include MPs across parties, including Convervative Julian Knight, chair of the DCMS Select Committee; LibDem leader Sir Ed Davey; and Kevin Brennan, Labour MP for Cardiff West. They said: "We know that the Government has already taken unprecedented steps to support cultural businesses, but these temporary grants and funds could be meaningless if we fail to secure this path to recovery.

"Without it, 2021 will be empty and colourless – and we know as much as you do that the country could do with something to look forward to."