Category: Culture

The speech made by Lucy Frazer, the Culture Secretary, on 3 March 2024.

Good evening, it is an absolute pleasure to be with you today. I’m delighted to be invited by Caroline who is a real tour de force, who is powering the Creative Industries.

Creative UK plays a critical advocacy role in convening organisations across the cultural and creative industries. I know hundreds of you are members, and I value the programmes Creative UK runs right across the UK. Creative UK believes creativity can change the world. I believe that too.

This evening I want to talk about some of the fruits of the joint collaboration between the government and the industry. Fruits which are helping to set a strong framework for the industry to thrive and helped pave the way for the sorts of measures we introduced today.

I wanted to begin by recognising some of the great creativity I’ve seen over the course of the past year as your Culture Secretary.

Because there are so many amazing productions that are bringing joy and meaning to people across the country: the first class production of original work in The Motive and the Cue at The National; the modern interpretation of Othello at The Globe; the traditional and beautiful production of Cinderella at Royal Opera House; real British dramas like Happy Valley and Inside Man; outstanding films like Saltburn, and Oppenheimer; the See, Hear, Feel interactive Ukraine exhibition in Liverpool during Eurovision; the incredible Aviva Studios in Manchester, home of the new flagship destination Factory International; our iconic world leading fashion displayed in the NEWGEN Rebel exhibition at the Design Museum.

Each show, each production, festival or exhibition is incredible in and of itself but it’s also part of a much bigger picture of creative success. And each creative endeavour fundamentally relies on incredible innovation, technical expertise and the craft of so many. Like set specialists 4Wood TV & Film based in Wales and growing into the West Midlands, who build for Doctor Who and much more.

And while we’ve seen exceptional British talent recognised in recent weeks at the BRITS, at the BAFTAs, London Fashion Week the creativity coming through at the grassroots level is just as inspiring.

Our start-ups, our schools, our colleges, our grassroots venues are all incubators for ideas and home to the creative geniuses of tomorrow. And our cultural institutions are doing ground-breaking work like the Royal Shakespeare Company transforming literacy rates across England. The National Theatre bringing the best of theatre to schools, libraries and museums. Meanwhile, places like Roundhouse Works in London or The Junction in Cambridge are giving chances to the next generation of musicians and creatives.

And one of the most inspiring visits I’ve done was to the London Screen Academy. Seeing how Charlie Kennard and the team are building a pipeline of talent of creative confident kids who are learning skills so fundamental to all jobs communication, team work, and presentation skills.

What is very clear to me is that your ingenuity, your skills, your creative excellence not only brings happiness and meaning to the lives of millions of people it also provides jobs right across the country and cements our status as a cultural superpower on the world stage.

And I wanted this evening to share with you – just in case it’s you’ve got any doubt about it – just how much this government backs you and the creative industries.

And I wanted to do this by way of a story. At the end of last year the Prime Minister and Trade Secretary organised the Global Investment Summit. That Summit invited over 200 top international investors to pitch the UK as a destination of foreign investment. There were only 4 plenary sessions and 2 were dedicated to the creative industries – that is half of the presentations reserved for the creative industries.

It was an overwhelming recognition by this government that today – in 2024 our companies, our innovators, our creators, our artists are putting a British stamp on every creative industry on the world stage. You are our shop window for the globe and we in government recognise that.

This British success across the globe is, of course, primarily the result of our ingenuity, your talent, your hard work and entrepreneurial spirit. But you have also worked with us in government in partnership. Throughout the last decade you’ve made clear how we can support your industries to thrive and we have listened.

Extensive tax reliefs.

£1.57 billion worth of support through the Covid cultural recovery fund.

A range of funds to help creative entrepreneurs go from start-up to scale-up.

Consecutive Conservative Governments have identified the potential that exists across our creative economy; they’ve understood the enormous dedication and determination of the businesses and people in these sectors; and they’ve recognised the importance of Creative Industries to our way of life.

Over the last decade, every year the government has introduced tax reliefs in one form or another.

From film to animation to video games to orchestras to theatres, these tax reliefs have helped to attract huge global investment into the UK.

Global investment that translates into local jobs and livelihoods, into new businesses into our towns and cities – big and small – into a culture that encourages creativity at every turn and at every level.

We in government cannot guarantee success, but all we can do is create the right conditions and the right framework to foster it.

And I wanted to share with you this evening the impact of all this and what the statistics show. The statistics show: nearly a million new jobs in the Creative Industries since 2011; and the GVA of the sector has increased by 50 percent to £125 billion in 2022.

Exports of creative industries services are up 210% since 2010.

And recently published figures confirmed the sector has grown by more than 10% between 2019 and 2022.

These are not just statistics. Behind these numbers are hundreds, if not thousands of success stories up and down the country.Ideas brought to life by creative industries. Jobs that did not exist over a decade ago. And creativity we have all enjoyed, which could have gone elsewhere, but didn’t.

None of this would have been possible without the energy, leadership, creativity, passion and investment of the people in this room, and beyond. So I wanted to take this evening to simply say thank you for everything you have done.

But we cannot afford to rest on our laurels. Last year when I spoke to you at this very same event, I committed to bring forward an ambitious vision for your industries.

These were not just words, and I wanted to update you on what I have done over the course of the last year together with you.

In June we launched our Creative Sector Vision, developed in partnership with the Creative Industries Council, and the fantastic Sir Peter Bazalgette, which sets out our plan for the future.

We have a joint plan to deliver £50 billion of growth, a million more jobs and a pipeline of talent so that the industry can continue to thrive. And we say we will do that by 2030.

And our plan included £310 million of funding, of which £77 million was recently announced in June, to drive growth in creative businesses across the country, through projects such as financially supporting creative clusters in the regions because we recognise creativity is everywhere.

It includes a focus on skills from the first day of school to the last day of work, including for example creativity during primary school, specialist schools, more apprenticeships, boot camps in the Creative Industries.

At the same time as we announced the Creative Industries Sector Vision in June, we announced programmes like: the UK Games Fund to bring through early stage games developers; funding to support grassroots music venues; and a trebling of the Music Exports Growth Scheme that has helped so many emerging artists.

And today at the Budget we’ve built on all our existing support and the Creative Industries Vision, going further than ever before with a package of £1 billion in measures

It was a Budget that recognised that within the creative industries there are a whole range of subsectors, each with their own specific needs, each with their own nuances and each with their own huge potential for growth.

Today what we did was set out bespoke support for so many of these different, constituent parts of the wider sector.

So for our film studios – which are an essential reason that last year half of the top ten blockbuster UK movies were made on British soil – we are providing support through a 40% business rates relief until 2034, enabling our studios to attract the investment needed from around the world to bring more creativity and more creative jobs to Britain.

For British independent film we are backing those companies with a new UK Independent Film Tax Credit providing an increased benefit of 53%, enabling this part of the sector to continue to launch the careers of actors, producers and directors and to tell the cultural stories of the whole of the UK.

For our visual effect sector, there will be a 5% increase in tax relief and we are going to remove the 80% cap on UK visual effects qualifying expenditure. These new visual effects reliefs will come into force in 2025 and our aim is to make the UK a number one global destination for visual effects.

For our orchestras, museums, galleries and theatres, the CX confirmed today that the Government will set permanent higher rates of tax reliefs to continue the Government’s support for new innovative productions.

From 1 April 2025 these rates will be permanently set at 45% for all orchestral and touring productions and at 40% for non-touring productions.

And that’s not all!  As part of our plan to create the pipeline of talent that our creative sectors need to flourish, today’s budget included funding for the National Film and Television School to enable them to extend their site – growing course provision, building a state-of-the-art training centre and continuing to train the next generation of world leading creative talent.

And, lastly but by no means least, the Chancellor has also announced bespoke support for the National Theatre, one of our great cultural institutions, which is so important to fostering, inspiring and providing opportunities for our creative talent in the UK, by providing £26.4 million for urgent infrastructure improvements. This investment will future-proof the theatre’s facilities and support its long term success.

These measures have come about because of our joint partnership. Many people in this room have helped to make those announcements happen. You have shown through your excellence and creativity what we can achieve. You and the industry as a whole have provided evidence and case studies and analysis which has helped me to make the case to the Treasury for this investment.

Taken together these measures mark another big step in the support this government is providing to enable our creative industries to grow; building on our strong track record which goes back for over a decade.

But let me also say that I appreciate that while the Creative Industries has achieved remarkable growth in recent years, I know it’s not been without its challenges.

I take seriously my responsibility to listen to, understand and respond to feedback from those on the frontline of our creative industries.

I know that there are myriad challenges right across your industries.

Strikes have had an impact on the TV and film sector.

I know the nature of freelance work creates uncertainty for so many people.

There is too much bureaucracy, too much red tape and too many restrictions around touring.

Grassroots venues are struggling to survive.

Getting investment can sometimes be difficult.

And that is all without mentioning some of the concerns that exist when it comes to the potential misuse of generative AI to steal the original work of people in this room.

And I want you to know that I am working across government and beyond on all these issues. I absolutely understand these challenges and do not underestimate them.

So whilst today is a really, really, really good day for our creative industries…that absolutely doesn’t mean that there isn’t more to do. More to do to ensure that this sector can continue to thrive.

And that’s why I am committed to working every day to deliver on our Creative Industries Sector Vision. And I look forward to working in partnership with all of you to support the sector to reach its absolute full potential.

Thank you very much.

The speech made by Lucy Frazer, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on 8 February 2024.

Good morning everyone. I want to start by recognising the significant role that you, and your sector, play in our economy and there couldn’t be a better forum for that message.

The Advertising Association, IPA and ISBA – are among the strongest voices for the ad industry in the UK and each body is recognised for being an effective champion for all of our brilliant media agencies, brands and creatives.

And it’s a pertinent week for this Conference. Because on the other side of the Atlantic, they are gearing up for one of – if not the – most important days in the advertising calendar. The Super Bowl.

Despite all that has changed with the revolution in what we watch…when we watch…and where we watch TV – this sporting moment has retained its place at the pinnacle of advertising.

With a TV audience over 100 million, the pressure to deliver compelling material is overwhelming.

Last year alone, the cost for a 30 second slot was $7 million.

But what stands out is not the cost, it’s the quality. And the adverts have become part of the event and part of the spectacle.

Ahead of today’s event I was reflecting on what makes advertising so important.

The first thing that comes to mind is the creativity that you see every day expressed through advertising – and how that creativity is the basis for one of the most successful industries in the country.

But more than that, the success of these industries actually provides: cheaper newspapers and magazines for readers to enjoy; your favourite hits on commercial radio; the ability to watch Coronation Street for free; and seeing the entire industry of podcasts setting up from nothing a few years ago and entertaining, informing and challenging us today.

None of these would be free or available at affordable prices without the work you do with adverts.

Advertising is an essential cog in the free market.

And on top of that, you arm people with the information they need to make decisions about what to buy.

I recognise – and this Government recognises – what your industry does for our economy.

Our Creative Industries are growing at twice the rate of the rest of our economy and last year accounted for £126 billion.

And advertising is a massive part of that success story. It already accounts for around 15% of Creative Industries output and all indicators suggest it will continue to grow in size.

Last year alone, Ad Association figures show the UK ad market is estimated to have grown by 6% to reach £37 billion.

This growth and value is a credit to the way our companies have become magnets for the best ingenuity, the best creativity and the best talent.

Today, in 2024, there are very few places in the world that can rival our status as a global hub for the industry.

I’m proud to be the Secretary of State responsible for the advertising industry. It’s undeniably a world-class sector.

But I believe we’re just scratching the surface of what’s possible.

When I became Culture Secretary, I made it one of my first priorities to maximise the potential of our Creative Industries.

And I want advertising to help lead that charge.

Last year I set out a Creative Industries Vision to deliver £50bn of extra economic growth, 1 million extra jobs and a pipeline of talent for 2030.

This will only be possible with Government and industry working together and with a shared purpose.

It’s a blueprint that is packed with measures, from investment in R&D to support for businesses scaling up across the country.

And a major part of it is a focus on skills.

If we want our advertising industry to thrive in the future, we need the right skills for the right jobs.

Advertising has long been an incubator for creative skills and where some of our great artists got their break.

…before Salman Rushdie wrote Midnight’s Children, he worked at Ogilvy and came up with slogans like ‘Irresistibubble’ for Aero.

…Jonathan Glazer – the English director of the haunting new portrayal of Auschwitz, The Zone of Interest – started off as a filmmaker for brands like Stella Artois and Volkswagen.

All incredible talents. All artists who originally found expression in advertising.

So through our Creative Industries Vision we’re working closely with the Department for Education on a Cultural Education Plan.

The aim of which will be to give our children greater access to culture and art at school age.

This week is also National Apprenticeships Week.

Like you, I’m determined to increase take-up of apprenticeships in advertising and marketing sectors.

And that’s why in July I co-chaired, with the Education Secretary, a roundtable exploring solutions to apprenticeship challenges and how we can make sure they are flexible and work in the interests of companies in sectors like advertising.

We’re also working closely with the Advertising Association and The Institute of Practitioners in Advertising on the Creative Careers Programme.

That programme will help encourage 11 to 18 year olds to pursue creative careers through events, panel talks and filmed content with industry leaders, and I know that the Ad Unlocked section of the programme reached around 2,500 students from 100 schools during Discover Week 2023

The programme will help highlight the range of skills that are relevant to professions like advertising in the future.

Because as we see skills in data and Artificial Intelligence are becoming more and more relevant.

And of course we must all recognise the impact of AI.

I know that, in the same way that advertising was one of the first industries to use machine learning and algorithms for more effective analytics and customer targeting advertising is already leading the way in applying AI to different parts of its day-to-day work.

From more conventional uses like making ads easier to generate and track…

Or writing marketing emails with subject lines and delivery times tailored to specific subscribers.

To less conventional uses like Heinz giving fans of its Ketchup bottle a chance to see it redesigned in an infinite range of styles, from impressionism to a stained glass Ketchup window. Or a recent campaign from Virgin Voyages that allowed users to prompt a digital avatar of Jennifer Lopez to issue customised video invitations to a cruise.

We are seeing companies across this sector beginning to innovate, experiment and embrace AI. To use AI in a positive way, and one that customises the experience for audiences.

WPP’s chief executive, Mark Read, said recently that AI will be as transformative as the internet was 30 years ago. He’s right.

And as the world’s largest advertising group, WPP has been at the forefront of investments in AI and is a company that clearly recognises that this technology should be a creativity-enhancing tool.

As a government, we want to harness the benefits of AI – right across society – to spur productivity and growth.

And I see no reason why it cannot be a force for good for UK advertising.

Advertising agencies have an enviable record of growing in response to technological shifts, not shrinking.

But we are also clear that AI – which relies purely on data – cannot replicate the creativity that can only come from a human being.

We are looking closely at how to ensure creators have the control and transparency they need over their content when it is used by AI models.

And we are committed to ensuring that AI is used responsibly.

To that end, the Advertising Standards Authority recently published their 5 year strategy for AI-Assisted collective ad regulation.

This strategy sets out how they will use their new AI-based Active Ad Monitoring system to identify and swiftly act against irresponsible online ads.

But there is work to do, across all sectors, to understand the risks associated with AI – as well as the benefits.

I want to finish by touching on our online advertising programme.

As many of you will know, tackling online harm has been a key focus for this government and this includes harms associated with advertising.

When we published the response to our consultation on the Online Advertising Programme in July, we set out a plan to build a regulatory framework that would be agile and fit for purpose.

And this included a targeted focus on tackling illegal advertising, and increasing protections for under-18s against adverts for products and services that are illegal to be sold to them.

We’re committed to doing this and there will be legislation when Parliamentary time allows.

Ahead of that though, we’ll be publishing a further consultation on the details.

And we will look carefully at the interaction with the Online Safety Act, and its fraudulent advertising duty which captures the largest online platforms and search services.

At the same time, under the leadership of people like the co-Chair, Mark Lund, the Online Advertising Taskforce is driving forward actions to raise standards.

And we continue to encourage industry to work closely with the Advertising Standards Authority, including on its principles for intermediaries and platforms.

I know this is something many of you have been involved in and that there’s collaboration across the Advertising Association, IAB UK, IPA & ISBA to address illegal advertising and improve the overall advertising landscape.

I’d like to finish by thanking you all again for the generous invitation to this important event and for your engagement with my department.

You’ve got a packed agenda and one that reflects the fact that advertising has arguably never been more influential than it is today.

I want to continue working with you in a way that is strategic and forward thinking.

And in a way that maximises the true potential of your businesses, your agencies and your brands.

So thank you again, and I look forward to continuing our work with all of you in the future.

The speech made by Lucy Frazer, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on 14 November 2023.

Good afternoon everyone.

I wanted to start with a huge thank you to all of you for making the time to be here today.

Today isn’t just about celebrating all the things that make our Creative Industries special, but it is also about looking ahead to the future to see how we, together, can chart a course that keeps these crown jewels of our economy shining for years to come.

And there’s no better place to look to that future than right here in Manchester.

As somebody who grew up not too far away in Leeds, I remember Emmerdale, visits to the IMAX in Bradford, and the arrival of the Armouries.

I soon learned at school that across the M62 Manchester was one of the cradles of the Industrial Revolution – a city dubbed ‘Cottonopolis’ in honour of its place at the epicentre of our thriving cotton industry in the 19th century.

But Manchester – as you all will know – is also a thriving place for our culture.

Oasis, Danny Boyle, Lowry.

Creativity is part of the fabric of this city today.

Just look at this venue we’re gathered here today in.

The largest cultural investment in this country since the Tate Modern two decades ago.
Built on a site already rich in creative history

This is the former site of Granada Studios – which had hosted the Beatles’ first TV appearance and was home to Coronation Street.

And now we have this incredible multi-purpose cultural hub that will welcome millions of guests a year, support thousands of jobs across the local creative economy and host hundreds of gigs, exhibitions and events every year.

I was absolutely delighted to be here when it opened officially a month ago.

It was clear then – and it’s still clear now – that this venue will be one of the focal points of a vibrant cultural scene in Manchester and the country for decades to come.

When I was made Culture Secretary at the start of this year, I made growing those creative industries one of my main priorities.

In the past decade or so, these industries have become one of our most powerful economic engines of growth.

And if we can help more people across the country to discover and nurture their creative potential, then we will see our economy and wider society grow and grow and grow.

Earlier this year we set out a long term plan for the future of the creative industries.

The Sector Vision was developed across government and I’m delighted to be joined here today with Minister John Whittingdale and Viscount Camrose from DSIT, as well as  colleagues from the Departments for Education, and Business and Trade.

The sector vision was developed jointly, as well as through government, with industry too through the work of the Creative Industries Council, who I met with this morning.

And I want to work with each and every one of you to deliver on our Creative Industries Sector Vision.

It’s a blueprint with three very simple aims:

• to grow our Creative Industries by an extra £50 billion by 2030
• to create a million extra jobs – all over the country – by 2030
• and to deliver a Creative Careers Promise that harnesses the potential of young people and constructs a pipeline of talent into our creative industries.

We’re already making progress towards those ambitious goals set out in our sector vision, unveiling millions in new funding to drive growth in our grassroots and scale ups and banging the drum for our creative careers.

We are doubling the number of areas in the Create Growth Programme, with almost £11 million additional funding which means we are able to provide targeted support to around 1,800 creative businesses so that they can access private investment and scale up.

Thanks to this new funding, businesses in the East and West Midlands, West Yorkshire, Hull and East Yorkshire, the South West and the East of England will benefit from tailored workshops, mentoring and training to maximise creative potential.

Greater Manchester has been delivering this programme and an earlier pilot, and it’s because of the success we’ve seen here in transforming local creative businesses that we are expanding it to other areas today.

From today, we’re also launching applications to the £5 million Supporting Grassroots Music Fund to ensure support for the lifeblood of our world-leading music sector and cornerstones of our community.

I am also pleased that today marks the beginning of Creative Careers Week – an initiative supported by my department to inspire the next generation to go into the creative industries so we can build that pipeline of talent and I welcome the many events happening across the country to encourage more young people to consider a job in these inspiring sectors.

But most importantly today I am here to talk and to listen to you.

Because we can only achieve our ambitions – this growth can only happen, these jobs can only be created, this pipeline of talent will only be sustained – if you are supported to maximise your potential.

And that is what today is about.

Some of you have been working with us already, whether that’s through our UK Global Screen Fund, The Create Growth Programme, the UK Games Fund or the UKRI Creative Clusters programme or our work with the Arts Council.

It’s great to be joined by organisations such as Production Park, HOME, the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, but it’s also exciting to meet new organisations as well

Today I want to be a call to arms to all of you to share your ideas with us in Government and to work with us to unlock the creative potential of our people and our businesses – particularly here in the North.

This region is already a driver of growth across the UK economy with major employers, export intensive businesses that attract significant investment from overseas.

We will never deliver on the goals we set out in the Creative Industries Vision without your businesses, your ideas, your imagination.

Government, industry and academic leaders across the North are already forming a grand coalition to develop a new regional strategy – The Northern Creative Corridor.

There’ll be new details about this exciting initiative announced tomorrow.

And I also recognise that it’s a difficult time at the moment.

The cost-of-living has been a bit of a perfect storm for the sectors you all represent and you’re all wrestling with different challenges: whether that’s the tight labour market, access to finance or the possible future impact of AI.

But none of this should dampen our ambition.

You know better than anyone else that the North of England emanates so much creativity and that, with the right conditions, creative businesses can flourish.

So, I’d just like to end by one final thank you to all of you for being here today and for investing your time and energy in the future of our creative industries.

I hope you find the sessions useful and that we can keep this partnership going long into the future.

I mentioned earlier this venue is the biggest cultural investment from the Government since the Tate Modern.

Today that venue is a global cultural icon, famous around the world.

I and my Ministerial team can’t wait to work with you to make this venue and our Creative Industries in the North as big a success in the years to come.

The speech made by Lucy Frazer, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, in London on 30 October 2023.

Journalism matters.

That’s what this week in the year is about.

But it isn’t something that we should just acknowledge this week.

It is something we should acknowledge every month. Every week. Every day.

Your work in holding people, organisations and countries to account.

Your reporting without fear or favour.

Calling out wrongful activity and evil.

Combatting mis and disinformation.

These are the signs of a true democracy.

Freedom of the press is not actually about media freedom.

It is about our freedom.

Through your reporting you are protecting the freedom of others.

And in a world of social media, mainstream media plays a critical role.

Your fact checked, legal proofed, thorough work, allows truth to prevail in an increasingly uncertain world.

And what you do takes courage.

Immense courage.

I know all of you in the room right now will be worried about your colleagues.

Those working in war zones across the globe.

Me too.

Your journalists are putting their lives on the line for truth, freedom and democracy.

The events in Israel and Gaza have recently made me think of other journalists.

The American Journalist James Foley who was abducted in Syria and beheaded by ISIS.

Evan Gershkovich the Wall Street Journalist detained in Russia.

The 14 civilian journalists and media workers who have been killed in the line of duty since Russia invaded Ukraine .

And of course, we are all thinking of the journalists covering the conflict in Israel and Gaza right now.

Nine journalists have sadly already lost their lives.

And my thoughts are with all of them and their families,

And all of you, who no doubt keenly feel the loss of your friends.

And it’s not just you and your colleagues’ courage in the face of war.

But the courage in dealing with issues which evoke hate and abuse on social media.

Or the full force of legal threats and pressure from the rich and powerful who try to keep their secrets secret.

Courage to stand up to unscrupulous regimes and people in positions of power.

I want you to know that we, in government, have your back.

We understand what you are doing and why it is so important.

It’s why we launched the National Action Plan for the Safety of Journalists.

…Why we are legislating to make it harder for powerful people to stop the publication of investigative journalism through unscrupulous lawsuits.

And why we expanded the National Committee for the Safety of Journalists to deal with these legal threats.

It’s why we are supporting you through the Digital Markets Bill which should enable you to get fair terms and fair compensation when your work is hosted on digital platforms.

And it is why we will remove a threat to freedom of the press by repealing S40 so costs are not a bar to investigative journalism.

You do not need telling that your courage has shaped our history.

Bringing down the Nixon administration in Watergate.

Exposing Harvey Weinstein as a sexual predator beginning the Me Too movement.

And from as early as the Crimean War sending your stories home, exposing the horrors of war and the bravery of soldiers. And contributing to the creation of the Victoria Cross.

And right now, again, our media is shaping our future.

I have watched and read those brave, passionate voices who are standing against Hamas and calling out antisemitism.

Highlighting the 1,353% per cent rise in antisemitism in London alone.

Spotlighting the 4 Jewish schools that shut.

Decrying the fact that children going to Jewish schools have been advised not to wear their blazer to prevent them from becoming a terrorist target

Pointing out the disturbing scenes at the airport in Dagestan.

Those journalists.

Calling out the denial by some, of the atrocities, carried out by a terrorist group.

Calling out the tearing down of posters of abducted children.

And your fact checked, legal proofed, thorough work…

Your truth telling.

Will make a difference to our future.

We only have to look back less than 100 years.

To what happened when conspiracy theories were rife, antisemitism the norm and no one in society called it out…

Because of this failure of society as a whole the German people were ready to accept the ‘annihilation of the Jewish race in Europe’ as Hitler infamously put it.

In 1941 Joseph Goebbels wrote that the fate the Jewish people were meeting was deserved and that no one should pity or regret it.

And most people didn’t bat an eyelid.

And your calling out matters not just to the Jews. But to all of us in this room. And beyond.

Because it is well known that when there is prejudice against any minority it should be a concern for all minorities.

Unfortunately the Jewish community knows what can come next.

Hitler didn’t just aim to wipe out the Jews, he targeted anyone who was gay, black or a traveller.

Your calling out matters because terrorist organisations like Hamas share the principles of terrorist organisations like al Qaeda and ISIS.

And they are no friends of the west.

Their hatred is not confined to Jews, or Israel. They hate all of us who share western values.

And Hamas’ actions in no way support or help the plight of the Palestinian people.

Who are also entitled to safety and to live in peace.

We are also seeing a worrying rise in anti-Muslim hatred

Terrorists use the media as a weapon of war.

Truth must prevail.

And for that, journalism matters.

Not just this week.

Today, Tomorrow. Next year. And every year after that.

I want to end with a message someone in Israel sent me last Monday.

It is a copy of a statement published by The Shin Bet, the Israeli Security Services and Israeli police summarising the result of the investigation into the massacre of over 1400 people on 7 October.

And, I quote…

The investigation revealed, following the interrogation of six terrorists who were captured that Hamas offered significant financial incentives to anyone who successfully kidnapped an Israeli with abductors promised $10000 and a free apartment.

The detainees stated that the instructions were to kidnap elderly women and children.

According to one detainee his commanders ordered the terrorists to behead Jews and rape women and girls.

Courage. Freedom. Truth.

Thank you for your role in our democracy.