Category: Culture

Swiss Parliamentarians – 2023 Letter to UEFA on Belarus Playing in Euro 2024

The letter sent by 30 Swiss Parliamentarians to UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin on 18 March 2023. The letter has been translated from the original.

Open letter to the UEFA President Mr Aleksander Čeferin

Dear Mr Čeferin

The Swiss men’s national team was placed in a qualifying group with the Belarus, together with Andorra, Israel, Kosovo and Romania, for the qualification for the 2024 European Championship.

Following Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, UEFA expelled Russia of all competitions. However, UEFA only took punitive measures in half-heartedness against Belarus, despite Russia’s direct support for the regime of Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko. Belarus will therefore have to play its matches of qualification for the Euro at home on neutral ground and without an audience.

This choice of UEFA is in contradiction with the decision of the International Olympic Committee. The IOC has excluded both Russia and Belarus from the 2024 Olympic Games following the war of aggression against Ukraine. This decision therefore takes into account the fact that Belarus is an accomplice of Russia, because it provides Russia with a deployment area and bases for its attacks against neighbouring Ukraine. We support this clear position of the IOC and ask you to follow this example and to also exclude Belarus from all competitions by UEFA.

Furthermore, according to reports from Belarusian and Swiss human rights organisations, more than 1,400 people are currently imprisoned in Belarus for political reasons. Among these political prisoners is Ales Bialiatski, a prominent Belarusian activist of Human Rights who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022. He was sentenced on 3 March 2023 to a draconian prison sentence of 10 years.

In its 2021 Human Rights Commitment, UEFA pledged to respect and promote human rights in all areas of football. In this regard, we expect UEFA to stop ignoring the detention of over 1,400 prisoners policies in Belarus and that it respects its self-imposed obligations in matters of human rights. UEFA must not turn a blind eye to the crimes of the regime of Lukashenko.

We cannot silently accept that the Swiss national team faces, in a qualifying match for the Euro, the team of a country which is responsible for the most serious human rights violations and which supports the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine.

We would like to urge you to immediately exclude Belarus from all UEFA competitions and in particular Euro 2024 football. The game Switzerland-Belarus scheduled for March 25, 2023 on Serbian soil should not take place while, in at the same time, more than 1,400 political prisoners are incarcerated in Belarus and that this country supports the war of aggression against Ukraine.

Please accept, Madam, Sir, the expression of my distinguished sentiments

Nicolas Walder, National Council, Geneva
Fabian Molina, National Council, Zurich
Katharina Prelicz-Huber, National Council, Zurich
Christine Badertscher, National Council, Bern
Christophe Clivaz, National Council, Valais
Brigitte Crottaz, National Council, Vaud
Laurence Fehlmann Rielle, National Council, Geneva
Fabien Fivaz, National Council, Neuchâtel
Claudia Friedl, National Council, St. Gallen
Tamara Funiciello, National Council, Bern
Corina Gredig, National Council, Zurich
Nik Gugger, National Council, Zurich
Barbara Gysi, National Council, St. Gallen
Eva Herzog, Council of States, Basel-City
Natalie Imboden, National Council, Bern
Marc Jost, National Council, Bern
Min Li Marti, National Council, Zurich
Raphaël Mahaim, National Council, Vaud
Lisa Mazzone, Council of States, Geneva
Mattea Meyer, National Council, Zurich
Martina Munz, National Council, Schaffhausen
Valérie Piller Carrard, National Council, Friborg
Stéfanie Prezioso, National Council, Geneva
Jon Pult, National Council, Graubünden
Franziska Ryser, National Council, St. Gallen
Priska Seiler Graf, National Council, Zurich
Lilian Studer, National Council, Aargau
Cédric Wermuth, National Council, Aargau
Felix Wettstein, National Council, Solothurn
Céline Widmer, National Council, Zurich

20/03/2023
Angela Rayner – 2023 Speech on Security of Government Devices and TikTok

The speech made by Angela Rayner, the Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, in the House of Commons on 16 March 2023.

I welcome the statement and thank the Minister for advance sight of it. But once again the Government are late to the game. In August last year, Parliament closed its TikTok account. As the Minister has just said, in December the US banned TikTok from official devices, and nearly a month ago the European Commission followed suit. On 28 February, however, the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology said that the app was a matter of “personal choice.” She said, “We have no evidence”, and that a ban would be “very forthright”.

What has changed? Two weeks, two Ministers, two completely different policies later, and it is the same pattern over and over again: a Government behind the curve, with sticking-plaster solutions, forced to lurch into a U-turn at the last minute. We need a strong, clear- eyed and consistent approach—one that ensures that we can protect our national security and that puts us in a strong position to engage with states such as China where it is in our interest to do so, in areas such as climate change and trade.

The Minister announced a restriction on official devices to a pre-approved list of third-party apps and a ban on TikTok. How does the ban on TikTok differ from it simply not being on that approved list? Why is the ban limited only to central Government Departments? How will it apply, for example, to devolved Governments or Parliaments? Can the Ministry of Defence, for example, keep its account?

The Minister said that the TikTok ban is based on

“a specific risk with Government devices”.

Can he go a little further on that? What exactly is the specific risk and why does it apply only to official devices in central Government? Will the Minister tell us what advice has been issued to other Ministers, including those who already actively use TikTok? What criteria will be used for the list of pre-approved apps that he has announced today? Which apps will be included and which will not? On what grounds?

Today’s announcement feels like closing the stable door after the horse has bolted. If the Minister was serious about overhauling security at the heart of Government, why was the review limited only to the use of third-party apps on Government devices? Why not carry out a root-and-branch review of the technology used by his colleagues? The reality is that this Government’s track record of upholding security at the heart of Government is appalling, from their chronic use of private emails to the hacking of the phone of the former Foreign Secretary, the right hon. Member for South West Norfolk (Elizabeth Truss). Will the Minister say whether there were any discussions during this process about Ministers’ use of private messaging, such as WhatsApp, and email? Will he confirm that he will make it a priority to make good on promises to update the guidance on the use of private emails by Ministers, which is now a decade old?

In the Procurement Bill’s Second Reading debate, the Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, the hon. Member for Rutland and Melton (Alicia Kearns), described the Government’s approach to tracking down security threats in our supply chain as “relentless whack-a-mole”. She said we needed a more systematic and proactive approach to identifying risks in the UK’s supply chain, especially when it comes to goods and services bought with taxpayers’ money. I agree with her; does the Minister?

If the Minister is truly serious about national security at the heart of Government, why did he vote against Labour’s amendments to the Procurement Bill that would have mandated that suppliers that pose a risk to the UK’s national security must be excluded from being granted taxpayers’ money? The Government have a duty to uphold the highest standards of security at the heart of Government. Today’s announcement is nothing but a temporary fix—a sticking plaster—while gaping holes remain in our national security. We must fix this problem; is the Minister committed to doing so?

Oliver Dowden

The right hon. Lady raised a large number of issues; I will try to address as many as I can and am happy to write to her on any that I do not cover.

First, the Government’s overall approach to national security is set out in the integrated review refresh that was published at the beginning of the week. In respect of China specifically, it sets out a three-pronged approach of protect, align and engage; this element of our activity clearly relates to protect.

The right hon. Lady asked why the decision has taken some time. We have always taken an evidence-based approach. I thought it was appropriate that we gather sufficient evidence and understand the nature of the problem. I did that in November. It is an appropriate way to deal with national security challenges and I will continue to take it.

The right hon. Lady asked about the limited list. We already have an approved list of apps but it does not apply to every Government Department. We are now ensuring that it applies across all Government Departments. I do not believe there is a risk extant at the moment; this is about ensuring that we continue to guard against risk on an ongoing basis.

The ban applies not just to central Government Departments but to all Government agencies, including arm’s length bodies. On the devolved Administrations, I have written to the leaders in Scotland and Wales and the appropriate officials in Northern Ireland.

In respect of Ministers, they receive extensive advice when they take office and are expected to follow that with all the devices they use. In respect of private messaging, we are updating the guidance on non-corporate communications to ensure that we have a consistent approach across Government, but, again, I do not believe that we have serious concerns on that.

Finally, on the right hon. Lady’s slightly overblown rhetorical point about Government taking action, I say gently to her that I have always been willing to take decisive action to protect national security. It is exactly the approach that I took in respect of banning Huawei from our 5G network before many of our allies did so. It is exactly the approach that I took within weeks of taking office in respect of Government surveillance devices on sensitive sites with Chinese technology on them. However, we must proceed with an evidence-based and proportionate approach. That is what will command public confidence and that is the approach that I am taking today.

17/03/2023
Oliver Dowden – 2023 Statement on Security of Government Devices and TikTok

The statement made by Oliver Dowden, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, in the House of Commons on 16 March 2023.

As this week’s integrated review refresh demonstrated, the Government are strongly committed to bolstering our national security to meet the challenges of both today and tomorrow. We take the security of Government devices very seriously, and we are constantly working to ensure that those devices remain as safe and secure as possible. As part of that effort, I recently commissioned a review by our cyber-security experts to assess the risks posed by certain third-party apps on Government devices and in particular the installation and use of TikTok. I know that there has been a lot of interest in this issue in the House, so I wanted to take this opportunity to update Members.

The review has concluded and it is clear that there could be a risk around how sensitive Government data is accessed and used by certain platforms. As many colleagues will know, social media apps collect and store huge amounts of user data, including contacts, user content and geolocation data. On Government devices, that data can be sensitive, and so today we are strengthening the security of those devices in two key respects.

First, we are moving to a system where Government devices will only be able to access third-party apps that are on a pre-approved list. This system is already in place across many Departments, and now it will be the rule across Government. Secondly, we are also going to ban the use of TikTok on Government devices. We will do so with immediate effect. This is a precautionary move—we know that there is already limited use of TikTok across Government—but it is also good cyber hygiene.

Given the particular risk around Government devices that may contain sensitive information, it is both prudent and proportionate to restrict the use of certain apps, particularly when it comes to apps where a large amount of data can be stored and accessed. This ban applies to Government corporate devices within ministerial and non-ministerial departments, but it will not extend to personal devices for Government employees or Ministers or the general public. That is because, as I have outlined, this is a proportionate move based on a specific risk with Government devices. However, as is always the case, we advise individuals to practise caution online and to consider each social media platform’s data policies before downloading and using it. Of course, it is the case that Ministers receive regular security briefings and advice on protecting data on their personal devices and on mitigating cyber threats.

We will also be putting in place specific, very limited exemptions for the use of TikTok on Government devices where it is required for operational reasons. Those exemptions will only be granted by security teams on a case-by-case basis, with ministerial clearance provided as appropriate. Overall, this approach aligns with action taken by allies, including the United States, Canada and the EU.

Our security must always come first. Today we are strengthening that security in a prudent and proportionate way, and I commend this statement to the House.

17/03/2023
Lucy Powell – 2023 Speech on BBC and the Government Role in Impartiality

The speech made by Lucy Powell, the Shadow Culture Secretary, in the House of Commons on 14 March 2023.

This week’s whole sorry saga has raised serious questions about the Government’s role in upholding BBC impartiality. They have their fingerprints all over it. It is no wonder the Secretary of State has gone AWOL. First, it exposed how susceptible the BBC leadership is to Government pressure. After days of holding off, the BBC capitulated to a Tory cancel campaign, orchestrated by Ministers and Conservative Members with their friends in the press, and took Mr Lineker off air. These are the same voices, by the way, who claim to be the champions of free speech. What changed? Can the Minister tell us what contact she or any member of the Government had with any BBC executives or board members during this time? What does she think it looks like to the outside world when a much-loved sports presenter is taken off air for tweeting something that the Government do not like? It sounds more like Putin’s Russia to me.

Secondly, the Government have seriously damaged the BBC’s reputation by appointing a chair who is embroiled in the personal finances of the Prime Minister who gave him the job. No doubt the Minister will tell the House that that is under investigation, but it is an investigation that I instigated, not her. Her boss is the only person with any power to fire the BBC chair. Does she agree that he is now completely unable to carry out his role of providing confidence, credibility and independence? What is she doing to put this right?

Finally, the Government have pursued a deliberate strategy of undermining the BBC in order to keep it over a barrel to get themselves more favourable coverage. That was on full display overnight and I am sure it will be on full display here today. They threaten the licence fee, cut the BBC’s funding and undermine its credibility, all in pursuit of keeping their foot on the BBC’s throat. Will the Minister today finally call off the dogs behind her and stand up for the BBC’s independence from the Government?

Julia Lopez

I thank the hon. Lady for her spirited questions. I have watched her valiant attempts to kick this political football across the weekend and into this week. As Politico notes, we are now on Lineker day 8. She shouts about a political campaign to undermine the BBC that is akin to Putin’s Russia. She professes that she is the shield trying to protect the BBC from political interference, but all the while demanding that the PM gets more stuck in and telling the BBC that it is in the wrong. Forgive the bewildered licence fee payer for wondering why W1A and SW1A are still focusing on this individual case—one that the Government have consistently made clear is for the BBC to resolve internally, which we note it has now done.

As the hon. Lady knows full well from the Secretary of State’s reply to her correspondence over the weekend, our Department regularly engages with the BBC on a range of issues. At no time have any of us as Ministers sought to influence the BBC’s decision on this case in any way. The events of last week are rightly a matter for the corporation’s determination, and we as a Government do not seek to interfere. I have not added, and do not intend to add, my views on this specific case in response to this urgent question. In response to assertions yesterday that he bowed to political pressure from the Government, the BBC director-general, Tim Davie, said:

“That is a convenient narrative. It’s not true.”

The hon. Lady has sought to make the BBC chairman, Richard Sharp, the ultimate arbiter of such matters. In fact, the BBC charter is clear that it is the director- general, as editor-in-chief of the BBC, not the chairman of the board, who has final responsibility for individual decisions on the BBC’s editorial matters. On the issue of Mr Sharp, she will be aware that previous Governments have appointed people to senior positions in the BBC who have declared political activity. That is not prohibited under the rules. Once appointed, however, all board members are required to adhere to the code of conduct for public body board members. She will know that there are separate independent inquiries into Mr Sharp’s appointment process, and they must be left to conclude. When it comes to the timetable of that, the Government are also awaiting the outcome, and it is right for the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments and the investigator that it has appointed to determine the timetable for that process, not the Government.

The hon. Lady said that the Tory Government had long wanted to undermine the BBC. Not true. This is an organisation with a near-guaranteed licence fee income of £3.8 billion per annum until the next charter review in 2027. We back the BBC. We want it to survive as a thriving cultural, creative and democratic engine for many years to come. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office announced just this week that it is giving an extra £20 million to support the BBC World Service over two years, building on the additional support that we gave it for its Ukraine and Russia reporting operations.

The social compact that underpins the BBC’s funding arrangement depends fundamentally on the broadcaster maintaining the trust and confidence of viewers. The BBC’s currency in a world of misinformation and “shout the loudest” public discourse is truth, impartiality, accuracy and editorial integrity. It remains our priority as a Government to work with the regulator, Ofcom, to deliver an effective and proportionate framework that holds the BBC to account in its duties, including to impartiality. In May 2020 we launched the mid-term review, a key focus of which was impartiality, and we will assess Ofcom’s regulation in ensuring that the BBC meets the high standards that licence fee payers expect of it.

15/03/2023
Julia Lopez – 2023 Statement on BBC and the Government Role in Impartiality

The statement made by Julia Lopez, the Minister of State at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on 14 March 2023.

The BBC is a world-class broadcaster, a creative engine and a cultural institution producing some of the best television and radio in the world. The impartiality of the BBC, as a publicly funded broadcaster, goes to the heart of the contract between the corporation and all the licence fee payers whom it serves. That is why the royal charter, which is the constitutional basis of the BBC—along with the underpinning framework agreement—enshrines the need for the BBC to be impartial in both its mission and its public purposes.

The BBC’s mission and public purposes, as set out in the charter, require it to act in the public interest, serving all audiences through the provision of impartial, high-quality and distinctive output and services which inform, educate and entertain, helping people to understand and engage with the world around them. The BBC’s first public purpose is to provide duly accurate and impartial news and information to help people to understand and engage with the world around them. It must also represent and serve the diverse communities of all the United Kingdom’s nations and regions. Both the charter and the framework agreement also explicitly guarantee the independence of the BBC. As such, the Government have no say in the BBC’s operational or editorial day-to-day decisions or staffing matters, including as they relate to the application of the requirement for impartiality.

The Government stand fully behind the requirements of the royal charter. We are clear that the BBC must truly reflect the nation and guard its impartiality in all of its output. The BBC’s director-general has repeatedly said that the corporation’s impartiality is a priority for him and must be protected. We welcome that the BBC accepted the findings and recommendations of the Serota review and is committed to reform through its 10-point impartiality and editorial standards action plan. It is Ofcom, established by the Government as the independent regulator of the BBC in 2017, that is responsible for holding broadcasters including the BBC to account on the impartiality of their news and current affairs coverage, against the broadcasting code under the Communications Act 2003.

In November last year, Ofcom published its annual review of the BBC. It found the BBC’s impartiality to be a key area of concern among audiences and one where they consistently rate BBC news less favourably for trust and accuracy. Ofcom stated that addressing audience perceptions on this matter is challenging, and the regulator recognises that this is a complex area. It will continue to monitor the performance of the BBC and has urged the BBC not to lose momentum in its efforts to address this issue. It remains a priority for the Government to ensure that Ofcom delivers an effective and proportionate regulatory framework that holds the BBC to account while maintaining its creative freedom and operational independence.

In May 2022, the Government launched the mid-term review. This is a new mechanism established by the current charter, focusing on the governance and regulatory arrangements for the BBC, given the reforms that were introduced when the charter was granted. One area of focus in the MTR is impartiality, and it will assess the efficacy of the governance mechanisms and Ofcom’s regulation in ensuring that the BBC meets the high standards that licence fee payers expect of it. It is also an important milestone in our road map for BBC reform, and work is well under way. The charter specifies that the review must take place between 2022 and 2024, and we will publish our findings and conclusions in due course.

The BBC is respected globally. It reaches hundreds of millions of people across the world every week. No other country in the world has anything quite like it. We have been clear that the BBC must place a firm emphasis on accuracy, impartiality and diversity of opinion. It can never be the BBC’s role to judge, or appear to judge, the diverse values of the people from across the country it serves. In the era of fake news, public service broadcasting and a free press have never been more important, and the BBC has been and should be a beacon that sets standards to which others can aspire.

15/03/2023
Lucy Frazer – 2023 Speech at the Gambling with Lives Annual Parliamentary Forum

The speech made by Lucy Frazer, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, on 1 March 2023.

Culture Secretary speaks ahead of the publication of the gambling white paper.

Good afternoon everyone,

And I wanted to start by thanking Liz and Charles for inviting me to speak at this event and thank you very much for your very powerful speech.

You have both been, as many of you have been in this room, tireless and devoted champions in this area, and I know Gambling with Lives does incredibly valuable work to support families in this room but also who are across the country.

Shortly after I was appointed I read your response to the call for evidence and I was struck by the harrowing stories of people like Robert and Fred, whose lives were ruined by gambling, and as a mother I can’t begin to imagine the grief and sense of loss of all your families.

And though I’ve only been Culture Secretary for three weeks, meeting all of you and hearing your experiences was one of the first things I wanted to do in this role.

Because it’s so important to hear directly from families who have been touched by these issues, and I really value your input when looking at gambling reform.

So thank you, Liz, thank you Charles, thank you everybody – and I’m really pleased that your hard work was honoured in the New Year Honours List.

I have also read the House of Lords report on Gambling Harm Time for Action and I recently met with the lived experience advisory panel. I heard some really moving stories and I am struck by how diverse their experiences were.

One person had lost over £1 million. Another never bet more than £1 on a spin.

One young man had started gambling at the age of eleven. Many tried to self exclude but found the enticements drawing them back in just too difficult.

I also wanted to say that I know it must be very frustrating to have yet another ministerial team leading the government’s work on gambling, and I know that you might be worried about further delays to the white paper.

So let me reassure you that White Paper is an absolute priority for me, and for the Prime minister, and we are committed to publishing it soon.

But I do want to give these issues justice and take some time to make sure that I do meet with you and others to really understand the issues. I am particularly conscious of the vulnerability of young people.

And of course you know very well, gambling doesn’t just destroy the lives of the gamblers themselves, it has a devastating impact on their loved ones.

The Review of the Gambling Act is an opportunity to make the changes we need, and to make sure we have the right protections in place for the digital age.

Nearly every area of gambling policy is in scope, and I want to make sure your views are heard and reflected.

I am also conscious there are a variety of views on the way forward.

Of course, the White Paper when it is published will not be the last word on reform. I’m really keen to keep talking to you all, and to make sure we understand the drivers of gambling harm and how we can protect the public.

So thank you so much for everything you’ve done so far.

And for everything I’m sure you’ll continue to do in the months and years to come.

04/03/2023
Lucy Frazer – 2023 Speech at the Creative Coalition Festival

The speech made by Lucy Frazer, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, on 28 February 2023.

I’m absolutely delighted to be here – and I want to thank Caroline and Creative UK for inviting me to speak at today’s event.

As you might have realised, it’s been a whirlwind few weeks in government and during that time we’ve seen departments being broken up, and new ones created.

But I think those changes have left my department, DCMS, in really a strong position.

We can now dedicate all of our energy on the sectors at the heart of our portfolio – particularly the creative industries.

They are a key priority for the Prime Minister.

They are a priority for the Chancellor, who has highlighted the creative industries as one of his key growth sectors for the UK economy.

And they are a priority for me as Culture Secretary.

In my first few weeks in the role, I’ve been lucky enough to go on a whistlestop tour of Britain’s creative landscape.

I’ve been up to the Corrie set, and to the Brits.

I’ve sat on the front row at London Fashion Week, and cheered on UK filmmaking at the BAFTAs.

And during those last few weeks I’ve seen with my own eyes just how much talent we have in this country:

the writers, the musicians,

the lighting and sound technicians, the designers and the producers.

But those people aren’t just making nice things.

They are the workforce powering our country – pumping £116 billion into the national purse every year.

The creative industries enrich our lives in every sense of the word.

When they thrive, the country thrives.

And while I’m new to DCMS, as a minister in other departments, I’ve seen just how much the arts can affect lives.

As prisons minister I saw firsthand how pivotal drama and art can be to rehabilitation,

in helping people find purpose, meaning and hope, and improve their skills for life outside their four walls.

As the housing minister, we constantly talked about the importance of “place”…

…how the quality of the buildings we inhabit and the beauty of the architecture around us affects the way we feel about our home towns and cities.

And at the Treasury I saw how we can support companies to grow, expand and recruit.

I am going to bring that experience to bear in this role, to push the creative industries to a new level of growth in the coming years.

Now, it’s worth noting the huge level of support that the government is already giving to the creative industries.

We are currently spending:

Over £21 million through the UK Global Screen Fund, to promote the independent screen sector.

Over £8 million to support new video games businesses to develop new products and talent through the UK Games Fund.

£17 million to boost creative investment in six regions across England.

Over £100 million in funding from UK Research and Innovation, to help us become world leaders in virtual production, and support smaller businesses to experiment and innovate.

And today I can announce that we are spending another £2.5 million to support R&D in the creative industries in different places across the UK.

Those are the things we are already doing to get the sector firing on all cylinders.

But to push things to the next level, I’m going to focus on at least two things:

People.

Places.

On people, I know that a key challenge for the sector is skills.

Our film and TV industries, for instance, are booming.

They’re creating thousands of jobs. Now we need people to fill them.

Yet a recent survey of young people by the BFI and careers app ERIC found only 6 per cent believed a career in the screen industries, for example, was achievable.

So we need to work together to give people the right skills and awareness from a young age, so that they can join these booming industries and enjoy fulfilling, well-paid jobs.

On places, I want to use the creative industries to drive growth in every corner of the UK.

Right now, more than half of creative jobs are in London and the South East.

And we can do so much more.

This is one of our strongest industries, and we need the entire country to feel its benefits.

And there’s a clear route to doing that.

Right now, there are certain hotspots outside London and the South East where creativity is absolutely booming.

Where certain creative industries form natural “clusters”.

So Leamington Spa, for instance, has become one of the video game capitals of the UK,

While Belfast is a hub for film and TV production.

I’m very interested in how we can boost those clusters,

And a need to work across government so that we build homes and train stations in areas where our creative industries are thriving.

I’m interested in how we can give businesses in those areas even more opportunities to innovate, to access investment, and to export the best of British creativity abroad.

And finally, I want to understand how the tax system can best support the creative economy, and how it can encourage people all over the country to start and expand their own creative businesses.

And I will set out how I intend to deliver them through the upcoming Creative Industries Sector Vision.

DCMS has worked very closely with industry on the Sector Vision, and last week I met with some of the leading voices of the sector to discuss that project,

during the first face-to-face meeting of the Creative Industries Council since before the pandemic.

And when the Sector Vision is published, it will kickstart a whole new round of engagement together.

It will outline how we will continue to work together, both government and industry, on a range of issues affecting creative businesses.

It will give us the framework to partner up with the new Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on research and development…

…and to work with the Department for Education on building a highly skilled and innovative workforce.

And it will lay out how we intend to capitalise on this really exciting era for the creative industries…

…An era where film and TV alone are now worth more than the entire car industry in the UK.

This is where the jobs are, this is where growth is.

So I want to capitalise on that moment, and use it to drive the sector to new heights, for the benefit of the entire country.

So look out for its publication.

And in the meantime, I want to thank everyone in this room for all the dedication and passion you bring to your work every single day.

I know creative work can be a real labour of love.

And it’s one of the reasons why I’m looking forward to working with all of you in the coming months.

04/03/2023
Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee – 2023 Report into the Appointment of Richard Sharp as Chair of the BBC

The report published by the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee on 12 February 2023.

Text of report (in .pdf format)

14/02/2023
Stuart Andrew – 2023 Speech at Westminster Insight Conference on the Future of Women’s Sport

The speech made by Stuart Andrew, the Sports Minister, at The Institution of Structural Engineers in London on 30 January 2023.

Thank you for inviting me to speak to you today and giving me the opportunity to outline my priorities for women’s sport.

It is great to see so many of you here which reflects the genuine interest and enthusiasm surrounding this important area.

I am delighted to have taken on the role of Minister for Sport at such an exciting time and I look forward to making real progress on issues that I personally feel very passionately about, such as equality and diversity.

The Lionesses win at the Women’s Euros last Summer firmly shone the spotlight on women’s sport.

The success of England’s Red Roses reaching the final at the Women’s Rugby World Cup and the success of many female athletes at the Commonwealth Games, including Eilish McColgan’s outstanding performance in the 10,000m to name just one example, have also built on that momentum.

I feel privileged to have witnessed first hand some amazing achievements in women’s sport since I have been in post, such as Great Britain reaching the semi finals of the Billie Jean King Cup for the first time in 41 years and most recently seeing Beth Mead, the Lionesses and Sarina Wiegman being honoured at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Awards.

There is no doubt that the media profile of women’s sport is continuing to rise too with events such as the US Open, the Women’s Euros, the Women’s Rugby World Cup and the Women’s World Cup being made available to a wider audience on free to air television.

The Rugby League World Cup, which was hosted across England last year, put the Men’s, Women’s and Wheelchair tournaments on an equal platform – hosting all three tournaments at the same time and all players receiving equal participation fees.

I want to build on this momentum ensuring that women’s sport continues to get the media attention it deserves and in turn inspire the next generation.

Audiences for women’s sport are also growing, for example, a record 23.3m UK viewers tuned in to watch the Women’s Euros final on BBC platforms and in November the Women’s Rugby World Cup Final was watched in the UK by 1.7m at 6.30am.

Figures published by Women’s Sport Trust in December showed that 43 million people watched three minutes or more of women’s sport in 2022, and a total of 325 million hours viewed.

This is in stark contrast to 2012, when London hosted the Olympic and Paralympic Games, where there were 20.1 million people watching women’s sport and 19.1 million hours viewed.

This is fantastic and shows that there is a real appetite for women’s sport, something we should continue to capitalise on.

Landmark sponsorship deals, such as Barclays’ investment of over £30 million in the Women’s Super League, have injected money into the system and allowed certain sports to professionalise.

Record breaking and innovative sponsorship deals are also being struck such as Amazon Prime Video re-investing a seven figure sum from sharing the broadcast of the US Open into boosting girls’ participation in tennis.

This is all good news but we recognise that a number of challenges remain.

In terms of participation, men are still more likely to be active compared with women and the latest Active Lives Children data released in December shows that boys are more likely to be active than girls.

It is clear that more work needs to be done to continue to break down those barriers that prevent women and girls from being active such as fear of judgement, safety concerns and lack of time.

We want to ensure that everybody in this country has the opportunity to play and enjoy sport and that includes ensuring more women and girls have the opportunity to get active in a way which suits them.

We also want to continue to raise the profile of women’s sport and encourage more commercial investment into women’s sport.

It’s fantastic to see elite women’s sport getting better coverage but there is more to do to drive up audience figures tuning in to watch women’s sport and to build the case for further investment in women’s sport.

On the subject of governance, I am pleased that the strengthened Code for Sports Governance requires all National Governing Bodies (NGBs) in receipt of public funding to agree a diversity and inclusion action plan with Sport England and UK Sport.

This is a welcome step forward but we need to keep pushing – to make sure women are fairly represented on the boards of our sporting organisations.

We also want to make the most of opportunities that come our way.

Building on the success of the Women’s Euros we will continue to invest in grassroots sport to bring on the next generation of Lionesses and work with the Department for Education to ensure girls have equal access to sports.

We are also working with the Football Foundation and FA to name sites after the Lionesses – in towns and cities which shaped their careers.

The Women’s World Cup in the summer will again shine a light on women’s football and we want to be ready to embrace the renewed interest that this will inevitably generate.

The UK is also hosting the International Working Group on Women and Sport until 2026. This is a great opportunity not only to share the fantastic work we are doing but to learn from other countries too.

In addition, we are refreshing our overarching sport strategy at DCMS and it’s clear that women’s sport needs to be a central part of this.

We are also working with UK Sport to identify future events we could support including the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup and the 2026 Women’s T20 World Cup which I am pleased to say will both be held in England.

And following the work by Tracey Crouch and her fan led review of football governance, we are carrying out an in-depth review of domestic women’s football led by Karen Carney to examine issues affecting the game at elite and grassroots level.

We need to maintain an emphasis on improving participation, employment opportunities, commercial investment and visibility in the media. The Review of Women’s Football will support the continued growth and development of the women’s game, to ensure it has a strong and sustainable future.

This is a defining period for women’s football, and this thorough review will be at the heart of that.

I am also keen to engage further on transgender participation in sport and the Secretary of State and I will host a further meeting with sports shortly to understand what work national governing bodies are doing in this area.

We want to ensure that everybody in this country has the opportunity to play and enjoy sport, but when it comes to competitive women’s sport, the Government believes that fairness has to be the primary consideration.

So in conclusion, we want to continue to build on recent successes such as the Women’s Euros and the good work already being done.

As I said at the beginning, this is an area that I care about passionately, and inclusion in sport is a priority for me. We also need to look ahead and be prepared to take advantage of opportunities and find ways to overcome challenges.

I look forward to working with you to ensure that all aspects of women’s sport continue to flourish, and to hearing your ideas for how we can make Britain a great place for women’s sport.

Thank you.

30/01/2023
Dan Jarvis – 2023 Parliamentary Question on the Fan Led Review of Football Governance

The parliamentary question asked by Dan Jarvis, the Labour MP for Barnsley Central, in the House of Commons on 26 January 2023.

Dan Jarvis (Barnsley Central) (Lab)

Whether she plans to implement the recommendations of the Fan-Led Review of Football Governance.

The Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (Michelle Donelan)

When we published our response to the recommendations made by the independent Fan-Led Review of Football Governance, we were clear that football needs reform to ensure the game’s long-term sustainability and to safeguard clubs, and I have met the authorities to push for action now. We will publish a White Paper setting out our detailed position within the next couple of weeks. That will set out the direction of travel for significant reform within football.

Dan Jarvis

I do not know whether I need to declare an interest as a supporter of Barnsley football club, but I put that on the record anyway. Further to the point made just a moment ago, we are still waiting for progress between the Premier League and the English Football League on increased funding to the pyramid, which could, hopefully, avoid another Bury football club or Derby County scenario. The Minister and the Secretary of State have mentioned the White Paper, but given that it may be 18 months before any new regulator is operational, can the Secretary of State say what she will do in the interim to break the deadlock and ensure that football clubs are financially sustainable for the longer term?

Michelle Donelan

While we will publish the White Paper in two weeks’ time, it is clear that football does not need to wait for the Government to act. Both the Minister for Sport and I have had several meetings trying to push that along. I urge football to act now because it is in its interests, too, to safeguard clubs and to protect the interests of fans.

Damian Collins (Folkestone and Hythe) (Con)

I welcome the news that the Government’s White Paper will be published shortly. Does the Secretary of State agree that most football clubs that get into financial difficulties are already trading outside of the rules of the competitions they play in? If those rules were properly enforced, these problems would not occur, and that is why we need the regulator to ensure that transparency exists.

Michelle Donelan

As always, my hon. Friend talks a great deal of sense, and I completely agree with him. That is why this Government will be acting and standing up in the interests of clubs and fans to ensure that the regulator is in place to do just that, but of course the rules of the game could be enforced now.

Mr Speaker

I call the shadow Secretary of State.

Lucy Powell (Manchester Central) (Lab/Co-op)

Everton football club is reportedly up for sale, with its stadium half-built. With others up for sale, this looks set to be a record year for premier league clubs changing hands. Many others face financial problems and ownership uncertainties, all since the Fan-Led Review was published. Yet fans will have no say and new owners are not subject to robust independent checks. We still do not have the deal on financial distribution in the pyramid. Will the Secretary of State take responsibility for the clubs that go under or get themselves into trouble before the independent statutory regulator is finally implemented?

Michelle Donelan

This Government have proven time and again that we are on the side of the fans. We committed to the review in our manifesto. We stepped in during covid to protect clubs with a £600-million sport survival package. We stepped in again to prevent the super league —a competition that no fans wanted. Whenever fans have needed us, we have been in their corner. This will be a huge shake-up of football, and I will not apologise for taking the time to get it right. We will come forward with the White Paper in the next two weeks.

29/01/2023