UK and EU Trade: Arts and Creative Industries

Thursday 11th September 2025 Lords Chamber

Question

11:17

Asked by

[The Earl of Clancarty]

To ask His Majesty’s Government what progress they have made towards improving the conditions of trade between the UK and the EU with regard to the arts and creative industries, including for touring musicians.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Culture, Media and Sport (Baroness Twycross) (Lab)]

My Lords, the Government have reset relations positively with European partners, agreeing a substantial package at the first UK-EU summit in May. This included a commitment to support travel and cultural exchange, recognising the value of artistic exchange, including the activities of touring artists. We will continue to engage with the European Commission to deliver this commitment. It is mutually beneficial and it will help our artists to contribute to Europe’s rich cultural landscape and support shared growth.

[The Earl of Clancarty (CB)]

My Lords, the almost five years since we left the single market have already cost us tens of billions of pounds in trade—that includes the creative industries—not to mention the red tape and frustration that continues to be experienced on a daily basis. For musicians touring, there has been no resolution of the problems of cabotage, carnets, CITES, the need for a visa-waiver agreement and the 90 in 180-day limit, which particularly affects ancillary staff. Bands cannot afford to tour; income and opportunities are lost. I say to the Minister: enough warm words, we need action.

[Baroness Twycross (Lab)]

The noble Earl outlines the range of issues that the Government need to work through. There is action; it is a high priority for this Government, and it was a manifesto commitment to address these issues. The Prime Minister mentioned it as top of the list in relation to the EU reset to the Liaison Committee, and it came up in the Foreign Affairs Committee earlier this week. This is something that Ministers are actively working through, and I know that it is a priority for the new DCMS Minister covering this area and for the Secretary of State.

[Baroness Wilcox of Newport (Lab)]

My Lords, the Welsh Government promote creative arts and education through the creative learning through the arts programme. Its aim is to integrate arts and creativity into the core of the education system, ensuring that all learners have access to creative experiences, regardless of their background. Does my noble friend agree that this is something that the UK Government could explore for young people in England?

[Baroness Twycross (Lab)]

There are a number of ways in which the UK Government are working towards ensuring youth mobility and exchange. We are working towards association with Erasmus+ on mutually agreed financial terms with the EU. We want to ensure that any agreement reflects a fair balance between the UK financial contribution and the number of UK participants. I am aware of the work that the Government in Wales have done on this and that many young people have benefited from that programme.

[Lord Addington (LD)]

My Lords, does the Minister agree that we have been giving those bureaucrats who like designing red tape an absolute charter to have a field day on this? When will they give us a reduction of, say, 25% in the number of forms that you have to fill in? At the moment, it is just ridiculous.

[Baroness Twycross (Lab)]

I repeat that this is a high priority. A number of noble Lords asking questions today have highlighted how complex this is in terms of reducing the bureaucracy. I can only reiterate that large parts of the Civil Service are working very hard to ensure that the bureaucracy is reduced. It remains a priority for this Government and for DCMS.

[Lord Vaizey of Didcot (Con)]

My Lords, touring artists are important for not only the UK economy but our soft power. Can the Minister update the House on the progress being made by the UK Soft Power Council in putting together a coherent and effective soft power strategy for the UK?

[Baroness Twycross (Lab)]

I agree that they are an important part of soft power. I revert to the noble Lord on specifics around the UK Soft Power Council, which he has managed successfully to segue to from a quite specific Question. I will write to the noble Lord in due course.

[Baroness Keeley (Lab)]

My Lords, before the EU-UK summit in May, I raised the issue of withholding tax which impacts our orchestras when they tour in Germany, Spain and Italy. In Germany, withholding tax is reclaimable, but it can take two years to be refunded. One orchestra has £200,000 outstanding and will shortly claim another £50,000 but then have to wait two years. Removing or reforming Article 17 of the UK’s tax treaties with the EU or its member states could help to resolve this. Can my noble friend the Minister tell me whether our Government will try to find a resolution of this vital issue, which is having such a detrimental impact on the cash flow of British orchestras touring to the EU?

[Baroness Twycross (Lab)]

My noble friend raises a really important point. The Government recognise the financial and administrative challenges that withholding tax presents for UK artists touring the EU. We are actively engaged with the sector to better understand the impact and explore ways to mitigate these burdens, but we appreciate that this is a significant burden on those who are already facing challenges touring the EU. As a result of all these questions, I will flag this debate to the incoming Minister so that he is aware of concerns within your Lordships’ House and of the wider issues that the questions highlight.

[Baroness Wheatcroft (CB)]

My Lords, next month the long-delayed additional travel document requirements come in. Have the Government done any work on calculating how much these will add to the delays, particularly for orchestras needing to move instruments through customs with heavy lorries, and how costly this will be?

[Baroness Twycross (Lab)]

All the questions today highlight the significant range of challenges. There are ongoing discussions at a variety of levels within government with the EU as part of the discussions following the EU reset. I will not give a running commentary on negotiations, but I am happy to meet the noble Baroness to talk about this in more detail.

[The Earl of Effingham (Con)]

My Lords, it is clear that barriers for touring artists are bad news for the UK’s £7 billion music industry and for an already squeezed economy. Over 20 EU member states have confirmed that they offer UK musicians visa and work permit-free short-term touring for UK musicians. However, the EU’s policies mean that there are still barriers. Can the Minister explain exactly how the Government are engaging with the remaining individual member states to remove these barriers, or will they commit to resolve this at an EU level? Please, can we have some detail?

[Baroness Twycross (Lab)]

I appreciate that this is a question for me from His Majesty’s Opposition, but these are things that presumably came up as part of the impact assessment when we withdrew from the EU.

[Viscount Stansgate (Lab)]

My Lords, music is international. Having spent many summers touring with youth orchestras, for whom the problems are just as great as those for the professional musicians that have been referred to in the noble Earl’s Question, can my noble friend please add to the list of things that the Government are hoping to negotiate easier arrangements for youth orchestras to tour in Europe? It enriches their lives in every possible way, musically and in terms of travel.

[Baroness Twycross (Lab)]

Absolutely—we are looking to increase youth mobility through any scheme that creates new opportunities for young Britons to travel, whether as part of wider academic experience or exchange of culture, including youth orchestras.

[Lord Stirrup (CB)]

My Lords, if this is such an important area for the Government, why do they not take action in those areas which lie within their own competence, such as making the St Pancras terminal CITES capable? Surely our negotiations with the EU would go better if we put our own house in order first.

[Baroness Twycross (Lab)]

Our priority remains keeping arrangements as straightforward and supportive as possible for musicians and the creative industries. I recognise how important musical instrument certificates are for touring musicians in the wider creative sector. There are no plans, however, to make St Pancras International a CITES-designated port.

[Lord Wallace of Saltaire (LD)]

My Lords, would it not be slightly easier if the Government’s approach to the reset with the EU was a little less timid? We could then begin to tackle some of the unnecessary bureaucracy and delays. There is a customs union that we could be renegotiating, and we could move further on that. We want a little more courage from the Government in standing up to the right-wing press and to the legacy of the Conservatives and now Reform.

[Baroness Twycross (Lab)]

I do not recognise the timidity that the noble Lord suggests that this Government are approaching this with. This Government have been extremely clear on what our priorities are for the EU reset. That includes not going in aggressively but working constructively with our EU neighbours to ensure that we get the right outcome to deal with the huge range of issues that have been highlighted by this important Question this morning.