The comments made by Sepp Blatter on 6 July 2026.
Red cards are not overturned by political phone calls. They are overturned by rules, evidence and independent bodies. If a U.S. President intervenes with the FIFA President — and a player is suddenly cleared before a World Cup knockout match — the question is unavoidable: Quo vadis, FIFA?
Football must never become a playground for political power.
The comments made by Lisa Nandy, the Secretary of State for Culture, on 1 July 2026.
The National Lottery is played by millions of people every single week. It is not just public money, it is literally the public’s money and they must be in the driving seat of how it is spent.
But for two decades no government has asked people how they want their money to be spent. Decisions are made hundreds of miles from communities who know best and favour larger organisations who can meet the needs of the system, rather than bending the system to work for the small, grassroots organisations who are the lifeblood of our communities.
This Government is determined that will change. With this consultation we are bringing people back into the conversation. They will write the next chapter in the story of the National Lottery and of our country.
The speech made by Baroness Fiona Twycross, the Libraries Minister, at Libraries Connected in Kenilworth on 10 June 2026.
Thank you, and I’d like to say a massive thank you for the invitation for me to speak here today. I’m absolutely delighted to be here, I’ll just say a few words at what I hear has been a brilliant and at times very moving conference.
I’ve been the Libraries Minister responsible for Libraries for just over a year and as someone who always has at least one book on the go, it is an absolute delight and privilege. And I’ve been very much enjoying meeting a number of you when I’ve been on visits around the country.
It’s great to see skilled and experienced people in the libraries sector coming together to share your insights and expertise. I know you work tirelessly – and enthusiastically – to deliver great services to your communities.
I understand you have been covering a range of topics that are important for the sector – censorship, access, trust and reading for pleasure. I am also really pleased to see there has been a session on data as that is another priority for me, as it helps me sell what the sector does across Government.
These are all issues that we are taking seriously in the centre of Government too and I would like to talk briefly today about how I will be carrying them forward into the forthcoming libraries strategy. And I think we had hoped that we’d be able to unveil the strategy today. We’re not quite there, but hopefully we’ll get there soon.
I want to start by saying – and I don’t need to say this to you – but libraries matter. From the pop-up site I saw in Grimsby last month to the civic hub that is Liverpool Central, every time I visit a library I hear such enthusiasm from staff and users about the work you do and the impact you have, from supporting health and wellbeing, building businesses and showcasing arts and cultural experiences, libraries offer so much.
Libraries matter because they are places where everyone can build their knowledge and skills. People depend on libraries for trustworthy information in the face of misinformation and a rapidly changing world. They also support freedom of speech, a core value of our society. I know that this is a lively topic of debate for the sector, not least here in Warwickshire, and I want to support you to see library collections continue to represent a variety of perspectives and topics.
I am clear that the tone in which politicians talk about our public libraries can also have a chilling effect, and I am also clear that our libraries should be for everyone. When I was reading through my speech on the train, I thought it actually makes me sad and angry that I even feel I have to say that out loud.
Throughout the year, it is great to see themed displays of books celebrating the diversity across our communities. Books about so many topics are at the heart of what libraries offer and it is always good to see you celebrate projects centred around reading.
I was really pleased to see last weeks’ Libraries Change Lives Week focused on supporting the National Year of Reading through initiatives like ‘Discover Your Library Day’.
I’m also proud that DCMS gave a £150,000 funding boost to 72 library authorities covering 100 places, providing opportunities to extend reading projects and activities. These are all places which are disadvantaged by high deprivation, weak social infrastructure and low library engagement.
I look forward to finding out and hearing more about the impact of projects to deliver increased membership and use of libraries in those places, during 2026 and beyond.
I’m also delighted that some of the regional winners of the Library of the Year award are here today. They were recipients of an £1,000 cash prize from DCMS with the money going towards continuing local reading projects.
But the value of libraries – and why libraries matter – is often only available to people if they are members. I’m keen to see even more people signing up and using their local library, and getting the benefits that come with membership. Libraries are essential services in any neighbourhood. After all, public libraries in England have 6 million members and around 143 million physical visits a year.
That is four times the number of people who attend the Premier League, Championship and EFL Leagues 1 and 2 annually!
A third of adults regularly use their library, but there’s still more we can do to open up library services to more people, particularly those from underrepresented groups.
I want everyone to find something of value at their local library. I want to support you in your work removing barriers to library membership such as worries about the affordability of fines. And I also want to increase active use and share the brilliant practice we see in so many places.
I would like to see every child as a member of their local library so the next generation can enjoy the lifelong benefits libraries bring. The benefits they brought to me, in other words. We will work with the Local Government Association and others to consider how places like Best Start Family Hubs, schools, and other local public services can be supported to promote children’s library membership.
I know the Culture Secretary, Lisa Nandy, wants to make a difference in the places that need it the most. This is why DCMS has published our Culture Priority Places. These will help us prioritise and target investment in those areas to build social and community cohesion and to enhance opportunity where outcomes are poorest.
We have also committed to continuing the Libraries Improvement Fund until 2030. From this year LIF assessments will integrate our Culture Priority Places. And over the course of this parliament, we will invest up to £27.5 million in the Fund, supporting library services to upgrade physical and digital infrastructure to meet changing user needs.
I would like to see us collectively work together to ensure public libraries are well run, well used and well connected. And, more than anything, have an impact in their local communities.
I will continue to promote the critical contribution public libraries can and do make to so many important Government strategic objectives. For example, I recently met with Ministers in the Department for Education to talk about how we can build stronger partnerships between libraries, schools and Best Start Family hubs.
When I or the Libraries Team have these discussions, it is always valuable to have robust data and evidence on library usage and impact that we can use to help to make your case and inspire policy makers across Government.
Public libraries have always been engines to deliver change and I want to shine a spotlight on how libraries support the government to provide opportunities for all.
I do recognise the difficult context that libraries are working in, and the constraints that this creates. Our view is not that libraries should deliver more without resource, but that it can be highly effective and cost effective to maximise libraries’ role in communities.
I know that you are all waiting quite patiently for the forthcoming government libraries strategy. Many of you have already shared your views and feedback to help shape it, so thank you for that. And I hope I have given you a flavour of some of the things you can expect to see in it. I really value the input you have provided and those conversations I have had with people when on visits. I’d especially like to thank those of you who provided excellent case studies on the impact your library services have on your communities. They’re a really inspiring read. From Oldham, who are placing local data at the centre of service design, to Leicester who are working seamlessly across public and academic libraries. We have been blown away by the response.
The examples and all of the case studies underline what we absolutely know to be true: that you are making a difference in people’s lives in the communities you serve through your work.
I am committed to support you from central government to do that the best you can. We all have a part to play in ensuring that our public libraries continue to be the gateway to opportunity.
One thing I did want to say ahead of us publishing the Libraries Strategy formally is to give you some assurance about the national development agency function. After consideration and discussion with the Arts Council, sector bodies and the British Library, and with a number of representations from some of you in the room, we have decided to retain the function with the Arts Council. [Applause] The Arts Council are really keen to keep this function as well.
We know that there is work to be done together to understand what the sector wants from its development agency and to build a refreshed offer that serves your needs. But I hope that this allays any concerns you may have had and we look forward to taking the next steps on this together.
Over the next five years I want the ambitions outlined in our strategy to shape our work plan for the future. I want us to work together to realise these ambitions. You are the guardians of a system that can, in my case and the case of so many others, turn a weekly choice of five books into a lifetime of opportunity. Long may that be the case! And thank you so much for everything you do, sometimes in hugely difficult circumstances. It really is genuinely appreciated, thank you.
The comments made by Lisa Nandy, the Culture Secretary, on 2 June 2026.
I am thrilled to announce Dawn Airey as the incoming chair of Arts Council England. She will take the helm at this incredibly important time, as this Government seeks to unlock access to exceptional arts for everyone, everywhere.
Dawn brings more than just a wide range of experience across broadcasting, theatre and the wider arts – she brings a passion for what the arts can do for this country and all the people in it. I have no doubt that she will insist on pressing ahead with long overdue action to put people back at the centre of their own national story.
I would also like to thank Sir Nicholas Serota for his tireless dedication to the arts and to artists. His tenure as Chair was during perhaps the most challenging time for the arts, encompassing funding cuts, a global pandemic, Brexit negotiations and the downgrading of arts on the national curriculum.
Throughout all of this he has been a calm, passionate and reassuring presence and a steadfast champion for access to great art. We owe him our gratitude.
The comments made by Ed Davey, the Leader of the Liberal Democrats, on 30 May 2026.
As the Champions League final kicks off today, football fans are being priced out by TNT Sports locking it behind a paywall.
While the PM has politely asked TNT to make it free, I’m calling on the government to change the law and guarantee these games are always free-to-air!
The comments made by Kemi Badenoch, the Leader of the Opposition, on 12 January 2026.
Enough is enough.
Social media is taking childhood from our children.
Today, Laura Trott and I met with a group of parents crying out for stronger safeguards for children online. That’s why we have a plan to introduce age limits for social media access for under 16s.
The press release issued by OFCOM on 5 January 2026.
We are aware of serious concerns raised about a feature on Grok on X that produces undressed images of people and sexualised images of children.
We have made urgent contact with X and xAI to understand what steps they have taken to comply with their legal duties to protect users in the UK. Based on their response we will undertake a swift assessment to determine whether there are potential compliance issues that warrant investigation.
The speech made by Andrew MacLaren, the then Labour MP for Burslem, in the House of Commons on 28 January 1943.
I am sorry to detain the House after it has exhaustively covered the question of the. Civil Service, but the line I am obliged to take as regards this Order puts me in rather a difficulty. I do not know how long ago it is since anyone opposed an Order of this kind in the House, but I am obliged to do so because of the opinion held locally and because of the opinion I myself hold on this matter. On two occasions before, I think, the Council of Stoke-on-Trent rejected this proposal. The Order which has been placed before us was advanced to the Home Secretary under rather interesting circumstances. The Council was addressed, I understand,—I am speaking purely on instruction here—by a member of the military Forces. There was strong opinion in the City and in the Council against the opening of cinemas on Sundays, but a representative of the Armed Forces, holding rank, addressed the Council, I understand, and pleaded with it to open the cinemas on Sundays in order to give some form of entertainment to the soldiers, who had no other attraction except walking about in the dark and rather dreary streets of a very depressing town called Stoke-on-Trent. The only place that lights up in Stoke-on-Trent occasionally is within the vicinity of the town hall owing to a very interesting character we have there. The mind of the Council was swayed by the intervention of an officer making an appeal on behalf of the Armed Forces, but even then the vote in the Council was pretty strong against the opening of cinemas on Sundays. On top of this, I understand that the private cinema owners are all against opening the cinemas on Sundays.
I am speaking on behalf of this public opinion in the city and also pointing fair criticism against what I think an unfair practice. To ask a member of the Armed Forces to address the Council was immediately to prejudice, or at least to sway, the opinion of members of that Council. It would be tantamount to asking a man who was promoting a public house to address the J.P.s before they gave their decision on his application for a licence.
There is a very strong opinion in Stoke-on-Trent against the opening of Sunday cinemas. It is the birthplace of what is called Primitive Methodism, so there is a very strong Sabbatarian outlook, but it would not be fair to say that the opposition is entirely and strictly Sabbatarian. In my opinion the time has long passed when there ought to have been some public opinion stirred throughout the country to do something in the way of entertainment on a Sunday evening. The fact has to be faced that to a large extent the Churches are not attracting the youth of the district, and it does not make a very impressive sight to see the people walking about with no possible chance of proper entertainment. Some of the Councillors, in order to meet what was put forward as a demand on the part of the Armed Forces, before this Order came before the House, have actually taken possession of the five town halls. Concerts have been given, and those who promoted them took a census of the soldiers who attended, and they were surprised to find that soldiers were conspicuous by their absence, so that the major reason advanced, and the reason that swayed many members of the Council, was not substantiated. The concerts are still going on. I have been associated with the public life of the city since 1912 and have a pretty fair gauge of the feelings of the people. Although I represent Burslem, I am the senior Member for the entire city of Stoke-on-Trent.
I have for many years tried to appeal for some public action to be taken to make Sunday brighter and, if possible, to provide opportunities—I am not saying this in a priggish sort of way—for doing something to elevate the minds of the youth of the district. I have had a strong feeling for years—and I am sorry to say that my apprehensions have been fulfilled by the facts—that this country of ours has been degenerated by visitations to picture houses where people have had to absorb visually what I call the poison and indecencies poured out from the American Hollywood. It is no laughing matter. It is a thing to be regretted that the youth of this country for the last 20 years have had to gaze on some of the things I have seen in those places. The net result of it has been marked by an absence of the interesting things that really matter among the youth of the country. That goes on during the week. When it comes to Sunday, if cinemas are to be opened, there ought to be at least some power, exercised if you like through the medium of a civic committee, that will have some say in the nature of the exhibits in these theatres. It is to be regretted that those marvellous inventions of mankind, the wireless and the picture house, should be to such an extent debauched and debased. I and many members of the Council of Stoke-on-Trent and many people in the city feel strongly, although we are not opposed to theatres and cinemas being opened on a Sunday, that there should be some control of or some say as to the nature of the exhibits on that day so that something may be done to repair the damage that has been wrought during the week.
I have told the House the methods adopted in order to get this matter placed before the House to-day. I know that I could perhaps press it to a Division, but I would rather appeal to the Under-Secretary to the Home Office to suspend the Motion and give us a fortnight or three weeks to review the situation, so that a regular form of appeal can be made to the Home Office and so that the public in the city can have a greater chance of expressing their will on the matter. I understand that 26 petitions have been put in against the opening of Sunday cinemas. I can never understand why those petitions are asked for and never reviewed. It would be advisable to consider them in full. That was not done in Stoke-on-Trent. The petitions were received, but nothing was done about them. The Motion on the Order Paper was speeded on forthwith. I am appealing again to the Under-Secretary to suspend this Motion. He would have me at a disadvantage if it came to pressing the House to a Division. I will not do that in any case. I would rather appeal to him on broad grounds. There is a strong feeling of resentment in the city at the way this matter has been carried on, apart from the deep-seated aversion to Sunday cinemas, in which I do not wholly participate. I do not believe that we can continue in the closing of every form of mental exercise or entertainment on Sunday and do nothing about it. Therefore, I make an appeal to the Under-Secretary to withdraw the Motion and give those in Stoke-on-Trent who have strong feelings on the matter another fortnight or three weeks to review the situation and enable a more regular and decent process to be adopted in petitioning the Home Office.
I make this appeal, and I hope that the Under-Secretary of State will meet me. I cannot resume my seat without mentioning that my attention has been drawn to the fact that a Member of Parliament has put a Question down asking whether an unofficial deputation can approach the Home Office. I would like to tell that Member that any citizen of any city has a right to come to any Department of State, on behalf of his city, and lay a petition before the Minister without being looked upon as unofficial. The more the citizens of this country take an active interest in their powers of representation and of appeal before the State, the more I will support them, but it just shows the length to which the engineers of this Motion will go in putting down a Question upon the Order Paper. I make my final appeal, and I hope that it will be met.
The speech made by Stephanie Peacock, the Minister for Sport, Tourism, Civil Society and Youth, on 29 October 2025.
It is an honour to represent the United Kingdom here today, and it has been a privilege to experience the diversity and dynamism of South African culture first hand over the past few days, since I arrived here on Sunday.
It was a pleasure to accompany you, Honourable Minister McKenzie, to the powerful performance of ‘This Is Who I Am’ in Johannesburg earlier this week – an extraordinary example of international cultural collaboration in action, supported by the British High Commission.
The UK is committed to effective and ambitious multilateralism, and we are grateful to you for convening us to discuss pressing matters affecting the cultural and creative sectors, as well as the great opportunities.
I would like to thank the South African Presidency, on behalf of the United Kingdom, for your leadership, ambition, and wonderful hospitality throughout this year’s G20 Culture Track.
The musical and artistic performances we have all enjoyed here highlight culture’s power to unite and connect communities.
In the UK, we, too, see how the huge diversity of cultural heritage contributes to our national story. Which is why we are pleased to have ratified the 2003 UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage last year and warmly welcome our hosts, South Africa, who joined this year.
The British Library’s Endangered Archives Programme alone has undertaken 130 projects across Africa and we commend South Africa for shining a light on the role of museums and cultural institutions as custodians of heritage in this declaration.
Honourable Minister, you have rightly placed a strong emphasis in the declaration from this meeting on the creative economy.
In the UK we also recognise the importance of these sectors and we have launched a dedicated plan to tackle barriers to growth and maximise opportunities across the creative industries.
Improving cultural access is another key priority for the UK Government. We strongly believe that arts and culture should reach everyone, everywhere.
This includes supporting our creative and cultural professionals to operate and tour internationally.
We recognise that the arts and cultural sectors, and creative industries can be critical drivers of innovation, not simply consumers of it.
The use of digital technologies in these areas offers extraordinary opportunities to expand access, participation and inclusion.
But we must acknowledge that digital transition and Artificial Intelligence are reshaping how culture is created, shared and valued.
This is why the UK is committed to international partnership to shape a digital ecosystem for culture that is inclusive, resilient and sustainable – whether through the G20, UNESCO, bilateral agreements, or the work of the British Council.
The UK is working to safeguard cultural heritage at risk, while advancing innovative, culture-based solutions to the climate crisis at home and around the world through our international programmes.
Our International Cultural Heritage Protection programme operates globally, in cooperation with the British Council.
One recent project – delivered in partnership with organisations across Egypt, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia and Jordan – has protected six historically important sites impacted by climate change and enabled them to be safeguarded for future generations.
As G20 members, we individually and collectively recognise our responsibility to use our influence and voices to champion culture’s role in driving climate action.
The Declaration we will shortly adopt is testament to the immense value we place on culture, cultural heritage and creativity and its important role in driving sustainable development.
I would like to thank all members of the working group for all their exceptionally hard work on the text.
The Declaration sends a powerful message to the world about the role culture can play in transforming all our lives – for the better. The UK is proud to endorse it.
Thank you.
The speech made by Lisa Nandy, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, at Convene Sancroft, St. Paul’s, London on 2 June 2025.
I said when I addressed the Royal Television Society at the end of last year that there is a choice ahead of us, whether we choose to be the last guardians of this chapter or the first pioneers of the next. And those of you in this room are those pioneers, public service broadcasters, providing an engine room of talent development and creativity, a strong independent sector producing and distributing British content seen at home and around the world on screens big and small, a rich and varied press holding the powerful to account, not always comfortably for us in government, but essential to the functioning of a healthy democracy, and an advertising ecosystem that underpins all of this and makes it possible.
You and your sectors are central to the cultural, democratic and economic life of this country and many other countries around the world. This government values what your sectors bring to the economy, to skills and good jobs, and as a symbol of that, we have chosen to back the creative industries as one of the eight highest growth industries in the UK in our forthcoming industrial strategy. Over the last decade, the creative industries have increased their output at more than one and a half times the rate of the rest of the economy. They, you, are a major UK employer. You drive growth at home and you project the UK overseas. Collectively, you underpin a hugely important industry for this country. And whilst we will have more to say on the sector plan shortly, that will put rocket boosters under the creative industries, I want to say now that this government recognises your value and we have your back.
But the media is, and always has been, about much more than that. And there’s one issue above many others that I want to talk with you about today. Trust. Last summer, when many of our towns and cities went up in flames, nobody could ignore the fractured nature of society. We have found multiple ways to divide ourselves from one another over recent decades, and it feels at times that we’ve lost the ability to understand one another. When people are working harder than ever before, but can’t make ends meet, when their contribution is not seen or valued, when politicians display a violent indifference to the things that matter, a decent high street, transport, a viable football club, it is no wonder that people lose trust, trust in our leaders, trust in our democratic institutions and trust in each other.
That’s when news and information becomes critical. Not the sort of news and information that helps to polarise and divide, but trust in news that builds a shared understanding of the world.
And we’re all of us in this room custodians, custodians of our institutions, but more than that, custodians of a cohesive, self confident country. And who of us can look at this country and the world right now and say that we’re succeeding?
We know that people rate traditional news sources high on trust, accuracy and impartiality. We also know that news sourced via social media is rated significantly lower, and I think we’re all aware of the darker side of social media, where facts are disputed and division is sown. Against that backdrop, your work is not just important, it is central to the future of this nation.
I’ve always believed in the power of media, because it is in my blood. My mum was one of the only female editors at Granada TV in 1989, running a busy newsroom on the day that Hillsborough happened. I remember vividly as a 10 year old sitting in the newsroom with my sister until late into the night as the horrific scenes unfolded, watching her make the agonising call for the cameramen on the ground to keep filming rather than aid the rescue effort. That footage would later become critical in achieving justice for the 97, revealing evidence of a cover up and improving safety in stands at football grounds.
I watched my stepdad make the call to commission ‘Who Bombed Birmingham?’ and persist with the program over several months despite intense opposition. That documentary didn’t just go on to ensure the release of the Birmingham Six. It exposed a miscarriage of justice that would send shockwaves through the country and lead to major reforms to the criminal justice system that persist to this day. It’s in these moments that great journalism shines a light into the darkest parts of our country, holds up a mirror to those in power, and reasserts the power of the people.
I can think of no better recent example of this than last summer, as our towns and cities were set ablaze by violent thugs. It was local media on the ground who countered mis- and disinformation in real time. And they told the real story, the story of our communities, who came together to defend all of us in all of our diversity and led the community fightback.
Our national and local media is, in short, too important to fail. But we appreciate as a government that you are businesses with a bottom line, and you have been operating in the toughest of environments for some time. You don’t need me to tell you that consumer habits are changing. Seventy one percent of UK adults consume online news in some capacity, twice as many as a decade ago, and that includes some eighty eight percent of 16 to 24 year olds. Just one in 10 pick up a print newspaper, compared to over half of over 75s. And for Gen Z, internet influencers are considered almost as trustworthy as traditional media. So I’m glad that the next session in this conference is focused on news and media in the AI age.
But these aren’t the only changes that we are collectively grappling with. When it comes to the media sector, there is enormous upheaval. Print advertising is down by a third, but online advertising has more than doubled. Broadcast viewing is down by a quarter, but on demand viewing is soaring, and the advent of AI, with its enormous potential to support creativity, comes with fresh challenges around copyright, authorship and fair compensation. The consequences of this can be stark and they can be uneven. Take, for example, the dramatic shift in TV commissioning patterns that have seen the UK become a world leader in high end, at the same time that smaller producers have seen the value of their commissions fall by a third and too many talented creatives left out of work.
We’re living through a revolution, but just as with the invention of the printing press and every revolution since, we don’t run from it, we adapt again, and we learn how to become stronger for it, in a new age. And at a crucial point in our history, governments have always proactively partnered with industry to forge a new path forward, like the Annan Committee in 1974, a landmark review into the future of broadcasting that my dad was a member of. It led to the creation of Channel Four, a recognition that the country had changed, with working classes, women and minority communities crying out to be heard in this new society and a nation that needed to define itself once again.
We’re in a similar period of transition now, and transitions need to be managed. Our job as a government is to create the framework so you can keep providing rigorous journalism in an evolving news landscape, among which the creative output that is only produced by people coming together across every part of the United Kingdom, that resonates with them and their lives. That’s why we’ve already acted in the last year to fix the foundations, implementing the Online Safety Act to keep users safe while protecting press and media freedom, recognising the value and importance of recognised news publisher content. Implementing the new digital markets regimes to allow you to challenge market dominance that negatively impacts your business, and convening the National Committee for the Safety of Journalists, to bring industry and government together to protect journalists and allow you to speak truth to power.
I’ve heard from you the need for fair competition and a government that supports you. That’s why we’ve already acted to protect the sustainability of the sector, implementing the Media Act, delivering a new, more sustainable settlement for our public service broadcasters, so they can continue to invest in high quality original UK content, as well as a level playing field for our radio stations. Hearing your concerns about less healthy food advertising restrictions and acting quickly to support clarity and common sense. Increasing funding for community radio stations this year to £1 million to help support hyper local stations that represent and unite their communities. Providing clarity on foreign state ownership of newspaper enterprises, a tough and crucially workable regime to protect our newspapers from foreign interference, while ensuring sustainable investment so that our papers can thrive, and making changes to the media ownership regime to protect news in all its forms from influences that could risk our plural and trusted media.
But I do want to pause for a moment on AI, which has been the subject rightly of so much debate, not just here, but across the world. We are determined to find a way forward that works for the creative industry and creators, as well as the tech industries. Creators are the innovators, fundamental to our economic success in the future. And with my colleague Peter Kyle, we’re working together to find a better solution. The issue of AI and copyright needs to be properly considered and enforceable legislation drafted with the inclusion, involvement and experience of both creatives and technologists. And so as soon as the Data Bill is passed by Parliament, Peter and I will begin a series of roundtables with representatives from across the creative industries to develop legislation, with both houses of Parliament given time to consider it before we proceed. We approach you with no preferred option in mind. During the consultation we have heard you loud and clear that what works for one part of the creative industries doesn’t work for another. Now you know as well as I do that in this international landscape, there are no easy solutions, but this government is determined to work with you to find a solution with transparency and trust as its foundation. We have heard you loud and clear.
I will never stop working for creatives to deliver solutions, transparency and the empowerment that you need in the digital age. We are a Labour government, and the principle of people must be paid for their work is foundational, and you have our word that if it doesn’t work for the creative industries, it will not work for us.
People are at the heart of this industry, and so we’ve also acted to support the people at the heart of this sector, supporting the launch of CIISA to tackle head on the issues of workplace culture that have plagued our creative industries for too long and denied us a chance to harness the full range of talent that exists in our country. I’ve been particularly pleased to see the BBC’s recent announcement that it will no longer commission companies who are not signed up to the CIISA standards. That is what leadership looks like. I’m publishing updated online safety guidance to support journalists to report in the public interest without fear. I’m proud of what we’ve been able to achieve together in just one year.
But as the sector evolves, so must we, and we want a vibrant and sustainable media ecosystem with PSBs, streamers, indies, radio, TV, press, thriving across the UK, and not just individually, but collaborating together to invest in the skills, infrastructure and co-productions that we need, and when you do well, we won’t penalise you through new taxes and levies, but ensure that we have a regulatory framework that incentivises inward investment that creates opportunities for businesses, both big and small, and the UK talent to be showcased across the world.
Take Bad Wolf as an example. First, a successful indie partnering with the BBC, then getting long term investment from Sky, HBO and most recently Sony, and now with the help of the Welsh Government, one of the anchor tenants of the Cardiff creative cluster. Or the growing cluster of audio producers in Manchester, such as Made in Manchester and Audio Always supported by the shift of BBC commissioning to the region.
I told you this government would have your back, and we will. Over the coming months, we will build on Ofcom’s Public Service Media Review during the summer by taking action to ensure our public service broadcasters can continue to do what they do best long into the future. We will publish a Local Media Strategy to ensure that people in every town, city and village can access trust in news that reflects their lives as reserves better, helping them to hold local public services to account. As a government, we are committed to the biggest devolution of power out of Westminster and Whitehall in a generation, which will make local news and local media the most important that it has ever been.
We will launch the BBC Charter Review later this year to support a BBC that is empowered to continue to deliver a vital public service funded in a sustainable way. A BBC that can maintain the trust and support of the public in difficult times, support the wider ecosystem, and that is set up to drive growth in every part of the United Kingdom.
Later this month, we’ll publish a Creative Industries Sector Plan to turbocharge the growth of creative industries right across the UK. To support film and TV clusters from Birmingham to Belfast. To tap into the huge potential for growth that exists across our country.
My commitment to you is an open and collaborative partnership with the government so that we can walk through this transition together. We will play our part, but we need you to play yours. We need more collaboration within your sector and especially between our public service broadcasters, to tackle these great social and economic challenges, working together in a number of areas, particularly tackling mis- and disinformation and promoting high quality news by investing in your journalism arms, partnering more rather than competing with or undercutting local news publishers, improving media literacy by helping consumers find and recognise accurate and impartial news reporting, supporting initiatives like BBC Verify and the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
We need you to work together to promote high quality children’s content. We all want our young people to grow up to see the high quality content that will educate and inform and equip them for the world. But also to inspire young people who see themselves and their opportunities in your content, bringing untold benefit to the industry in inspiring future generations of content makers. We make great children’s content in the United Kingdom, but we don’t collectively promote it enough.
And also to understand how you can lead on this great transformation, thinking creatively about alternative ways to monetise your content and assets, and crucially, working together to move to where people are building on and developing more shared platforms and operations, like freely at radio player to help manage costs that make it easier for audiences to access your content.
We need you to take seriously the need to shift resources, opportunities and commissioning power to every nation and region. There is a principle that will run through our industrial strategy like a thread: economic growth, good jobs, skills and opportunities. Not just in one part of the country, but in every single nation and region, across our towns, villages and cities. So we need you to step up and do more, not just paying lip service to the need for regional and national content, but really embedding yourselves in those communities to make sure that those voices are heard, those stories are told. Because talent is everywhere, but opportunity is not.
In a world where trust is at a premium, it’s easy to draw divisions: broadcasters versus streamers, online versus print, local versus national, big versus small. But we have to reject that way of thinking. Because despite all the talk of challenges, and there are many, the fundamentals of our media sectors are strong. They have great talent and infrastructure, and I hope that we can work together to create a great policy framework too, so that you can continue to be the custodians of our national life and usher this country into the coming decade.
It’s my firm belief that this country has been through difficult times, buffeted by global forces and decision-making at home, and we need to take this moment to recover our sense of self confidence. When it comes to the creative industries, whether it’s film, TV, fashion, music, arts, culture, we are really good at this stuff. We light up the world with the content that we’re able to make and produce and we change lives here, at home and overseas.
Recently, I was in India and then Japan, and I couldn’t fail to be impressed by the esteem in which British media and creatives are held. Millions of people around the world watch big budget dramas like ‘Doctor Who’ and ‘Bridgerton’, but they also watch a slew of other fantastic shows and formats from ‘Planet Earth’ to ‘Come Dine With Me’ and everything in between. They read our news, they watch our adverts, they listen to our podcasts.
What that does is not just project the UK to the rest of the world, but it connects people in an increasingly fragmented, divided and polarised world. So many of the people I spoke to wanted to come and make things in the UK with the UK, we are a cultural powerhouse. No one will be a more passionate advocate for our sectors than me or our ministerial colleagues at DCMS.
So know that you have our full support as we enter this new era. Know that I am confident that if we work together, we can face head-on these challenges and make the most of change as a country. We’ve been drifting too long, but now is the time to chart a new course, a media that is fiercely independent, that creates and produces some of the best content in the world. That draws on the talent that exists in every corner of our country to shape, define and give voice to our national story, and provide those moments that bring us together in shared experience at a time when so much of our consumption is fractured and polarising. As we look to this new era and a new country, let nobody say that it falls to anybody else. It falls to us.