𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Today, Labour published their creative industries sector plan. Britain’s creative industries, from stage to screen, and from music to fashion, are one of our greatest modern success stories. They’re not just cultural assets but a serious economic force, generating over £100 billion a year, creating millions of jobs, and fuelling innovation, exports, and pride in British talent. But today, under Labour, this powerhouse sector is being pushed to the brink.

Labour’s economic mismanagement is threatening the very survival of creative businesses because of their Jobs Tax. This choice will hit creative employers hard and stifle job creation.

On top of that, Labour’s Business Rates hike is inflicting real damage. Creative businesses often rely on physical spaces, from theatres and music venues. Instead of easing the burden, Labour is letting rates rise, making it harder for these vital spaces to stay open and affordable. The result leads to a devastating blow to our cultural institutions and small creative firms alike are being priced out of existence.

As Conservatives, we believe this is not just the wrong approach it’s a betrayal of one of Britain’s most dynamic sectors.

When we were in government, we backed the creative economy not just with warm words, but with targeted support. Between 2010 and 2022, the UK’s creative industries grew by over 50%, more than twice the rate of the wider economy and helped create over one million new jobs.

When COVID-19 hit, we stepped in with the Culture Recovery Fund, the Film and TV Restart Scheme, and the Live Events Reinsurance Scheme, supporting over 220,000 jobs and keeping more than 5,000 creative organisations afloat during the toughest of times. We backed the sector long before and long after the crisis, delivering over £1 billion in tax reliefs and unlocking investment through our Creative Industries Sector Deal and Sector Vision.

Labour’s approach couldn’t be more different. Since entering government, they’ve failed to support creative tax reliefs, introduced a raft of anti-business regulations, and hit the sector with £2.8 billion in new costs. Their proposed Employment Bill, more like unemployment bill alone threatens to burden employers with over 70 new red-tape requirements, costing £4.5 billion a year an attack on innovation and growth dressed up as reform.

The UK’s creative industries are a national asset. Labour’s policies are putting them at risk. We can’t let short-term thinking and high-tax ideology destroy decades of success. If we want our cultural economy to thrive, we must defend it. That can only be done with action, ambition, and leadership that truly backs British creativity.