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Britain’s entertainment industry has reacted to Labour’s landslide victory in the country’s general election, which ended 14 years of Conservative rule and installed Keir Starmer as prime minister.
With public support for the Conservatives plummeting and a Labour victory widely expected, performing arts union Equity released a statement long before the first election results were announced expressing its hopes for the new government.
“Now that the election is over, the new government must tackle performing arts and entertainment, an area that is crucial to the UK’s long-term success,” it said. “We will press the new government to set out a long-term plan to bring UK arts funding up to the European average, tackle the high upfront fees charged by casting directories, make Universal Credit fairer for freelancers, ensure that public subsidies only support jobs with decent union terms, and fight for better rights for the video games and TV commercial sectors.”
“The creative industries would not exist without this fantastic workforce and it’s time for politicians to stand up and give the creative industries the same recognition that they are given by audiences around the world,” the union added.
Equity’s statement highlighted the industry’s growing frustration with the various crises that have affected it, particularly the outgoing government’s response to the pandemic and the Hollywood strikes, which left a large proportion of UK freelance workers unemployed. Many fell through the gaps in benefits schemes, including the furlough scheme introduced during the COVID lockdown, and were forced to leave the industry altogether.
In a statement published on X, entertainment workers’ union Bectu welcomed the new government and its “commitment to change in what it sees as a vital sector for the future, recognising the huge contribution of the creative industries”, and said it hoped it would lead to a “fruitful relationship” with it and other unions.
“We are pleased to see that Labour has strong plans for ensuring access to the arts for all, skills development, opening up apprenticeships and improving workers’ rights,” the statement said. “We look forward to working with Labour to tackle some of the most pressing issues facing the sector – sustained funding, improved rights for freelancers and more sustainable working conditions all require immediate action. With the political brouhaha surrounding the BBC seemingly never-ending, we are pleased to see a party in power that will not use the world’s leading public service broadcaster as a political tool.”
Similarly, Andy Harrower, CEO of directors’ organisation Directors UK, highlighted three key measures for Labour that would “genuinely improve the working lives of UK freelance film and TV directors”, including a “Freelance Commissioner” to represent and defend the interests of 4.3 million freelancers, a “Smart Fund” to pay creators for the private copying and consumption of their content on digital devices, and “strong regulatory measures” to ensure the AI sector “respects the UK’s ‘gold standard’ IP copyright regime and meets its obligations to that regime through transparency, accountability and financial compensation”.
James Birstall, CEO of indie production group Argonon, also expressed optimism about the new government, saying he has met with several cabinet members and is “encouraged and hopeful that we will see strong, sustainable and much-needed support for our industry in the months and years ahead.” However, he noted that this support is “urgently needed,” and that the creative industries have “endured and continue to battle the worst of severe economic headwinds, disrupted business models and declining audiences in 2023 and beyond. This has dealt a major blow to our world-class production base and talented freelancers at all levels. These are the immediate challenges we now face.”
Mr Birstall pointed out that Labour had previously outlined the importance of the creative industries and stated its “ambition” to enable the BBC and other UK creative agencies to invest in content.
“We welcome early engagement with DCMS as this is a priority area. [Department for Culture, Media and Sport] “To ensure the future success and sustainability of our industry, we need whole-of-government efforts to address these immediate challenges, as well as longer-term needs such as skills training, creative and productive incentives, and intellectual property protection,” he said.
talk variety Just a day before the election, Gigi Kamasa, former boss of Lionsgate UK and founder of local distribution and production company True Bullitt, outlined concerns facing the independent film industry, including the “crazy inflated costs of crew fees, studios and locations” involved in production.
“The new administration will need to analyse and consider how to support the skills and training of new and junior staff, but at the same time ensure that interventions support British independent feature films,” Kamasa said. “These measures could range from capping the prices that locations, studios, post-production companies and VFX companies must charge British independent feature films, to a legal obligation for private companies and entities to guarantee a certain percentage of their space and work to British independent films.”