(1 day, 21 hours ago)
Commons ChamberRead Hansard Text Read Debate Ministerial Extracts
Torcuil Crichton (Na h-Eileanan an Iar) (Lab)
I begin by welcoming the Minister to the Dispatch Box for what I believe is her first time as Under-Secretary of State for Scotland. Some might argue that 11.20 pm on a Monday night is just the right time for a Minister to make their debut at the Dispatch Box, and perhaps the right time to make the kind of speech I am about to make. I assure her, though, that we on the Labour Benches are very proud of her, and I am sure Members across the House will appreciate her talents and skills as they relate to the Scotland Office, other parts of Government policy and other parts of the world, where her dedication and leadership have been shown before.
That is where the praise stops, because the ask I am about to make may well go beyond the Minister’s briefing and the Scotland Office’s budget. However, I hope she will be no less ambitious than I am, or my hon. Friends the Members for Glasgow North (Martin Rhodes), for Glasgow West (Patricia Ferguson), and for all points in between who have stayed on tonight to show their support not just for the Minister, but for an idea that would define not only a building or a city, but a country, and leave a legacy for this reforming Government that she and I serve in.
For many, I hardly need detail the catastrophe that has befallen the Glasgow School of Art’s Charles Rennie Mackintosh building, and the pall it has cast over Scotland’s largest city for more than a decade now. I will quickly summarise the brutally cruel circumstances that led us here.
Irene Campbell (North Ayrshire and Arran) (Lab)
I thank my hon. Friend for securing this important Adjournment debate. Does he agree that it is shameful that the Glasgow School of Art has been left in this state, leaving a cultural void in Glasgow’s architectural heritage, and that innovative solutions should be explored to right this wrong?
Torcuil Crichton
I do, and I thank my hon. Friend for her intervention. I will detail and explore some of those options later in my speech. She is right: it is shameful that we have this shrouded ghost on Garnethill casting a shadow over the city.
To summarise, the fire that brought down the Mackintosh building broke out in 2014, as art students were finalising their end-of-year degree show. That fire was devastating and heartrending—I was in a meeting of another cultural board as the news broke, and people cried in that meeting as the smoke rose above Garnethill. Around 70% of the building was saved, although the library and the famous hen run—that glazed passageway so beloved by generations of art students—were lost. Despite that blow, the Glasgow School of Art and its patrons across the globe rose to the occasion and committed themselves to the faithful restoration of the building. That was painstaking and specialised work, but it was moving on apace when a second and much more devastating fire swept through the building in 2018, engulfing not just the Mackintosh building but the neighbouring ABC music venue on Sauchiehall Street.
The 2018 blaze was so fierce and all-consuming that its cause may never be known, but its consequences certainly are. Glaswegians are reminded of the destruction every single day, as the charred husk of the Mack building stoops withered and crippled on the city’s skyline. I was up there on Friday, between events at the Royal National Mòd in Glasgow—I congratulate the organisers and the city for hosting a brilliant week in the city of the Gaels. The contrast between the vibrant, youthful buzz of the revived and living culture that the Mòd represents and the tragic shadow hanging over the Mack could not have been stronger.
Martin Rhodes (Glasgow North) (Lab)
Does my hon. Friend agree that any future plans for the Mack need to be based on learning lessons from its recent tragic past?
Torcuil Crichton
I do. There is a need for greater transparency, and there are great lessons to be learned from the recent management of the estate and the building.
The Glasgow School of Art has committed to restoring the building. In July this year, eight years after the second fire and following extended and painful arbitration with the insurers, the GSA published a report outlining that the cost of restoring the Mack is estimated to be £265 million at today’s prices. That is a simply insurmountable sum for Glasgow School of Art alone. It is more than five times its annual turnover. That is why I am making this speech this evening.
David Mundell (Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale) (Con)
I very much commend the hon. Gentleman for bringing this issue forward, because Glasgow School of Art is a national institution and Charles Rennie Mackintosh was a national figure across the United Kingdom. That is why, when I was in the Scotland Office, I argued that the UK Government should intervene after the first fire, which they did. I had the opportunity to see some of the renovations that took place after 2014, which were so tragically lost in the fire of 2018. I absolutely agree with the hon. Gentleman that, given the national significance of the Glasgow School of Art, the UK Government have a role to play in its renovation.
Torcuil Crichton
I am glad to have the right hon. Member here bringing not just his experience, but cross-party support. I appreciate what he did and what previous Governments did after the first fire. There are hundreds of competing pressures on politics and on our political and financial capital, but he is right that it is a building of national importance. It was also a very beautiful building.
Anneliese Dodds (Oxford East) (Lab/Co-op)
Does my hon. Friend agree that the building is of international importance, when we look at the significance of Charles Rennie Mackintosh in the history of design? He always married function with form, and that is nowhere more clear than in that building.
Torcuil Crichton
I completely agree with my right hon. Friend about the style and form of the Mack. It was a beautiful building, and we do miss it. I do not mean that in a sentimental sense, because it was not just a building of bricks and mortar; it was, as she said, more than the sum of its parts. Since its construction at the turn of the 20th century, the Mack has become a symbol of Glasgow’s flair. It has been an incubator for Scotland’s creative spirit, and it has been a building of significance, as Members have said, not just for the city, but for Scotland and the country. It is a story that runs through the Scottish nation, and through the lives of so many famous artists, writers and performers who have been inspired by their time there, and others, like me, who were simply spellbound by its beauty.
If the Minister is looking for evidence of how the Mack runs through our lives, she will recall that tonight at Dover House, as she made her speech for the Poppyscotland appeal, which we all support, she was heralded by a painting by Adrian Wiszniewski on one side and one by Ken Currie on the other—the new Glasgow boys; the most recent wave of artists to come out of the art school.
Richard Baker (Glenrothes and Mid Fife) (Lab)
My hon. Friend is being generous with his time. He mentions the new Glasgow boys. Among the other notable graduates of Glasgow School of Art is the late David Harding, the first town artist for Glenrothes. Is that not an example of the significance of the school right across Scotland and internationally, as others have said? That is why its reconstruction should be a priority for all levels of Government who have the interests of Glasgow School of Art at heart.
Torcuil Crichton
My hon. Friend is absolutely right. The school’s influence runs everywhere, and not just in Dover House. In the Lobby tonight, the hon. Member for Foyle (Colum Eastwood), who is not in his place, mentioned how his brother had been to Glasgow School of Art. The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has spent so much time at the Dispatch Box today, but his mother was at Glasgow School of Art, as were so many friends of mine. I was only ever a graduate of the art school dance; I never actually went to art school, but many friends, colleagues and constituents did.
We shape our buildings and then they shape us. That was the phrase of another Prime Minister, which should be embossed on the walls of this Chamber, because, as we know, it was rebuilt from the ruins of world war two and functions now much as it did before that visit from the Luftwaffe in 1941. Buildings do more than occupy space; they define who we are. Few understood that more profoundly than Charles Rennie Mackintosh, as my right hon. Friend the Member for Oxford East (Anneliese Dodds) pointed out. His design for the building created an environment in which art, everyday practicality, and beauty and simplicity of design came together as one.
Gordon McKee (Glasgow South) (Lab)
My hon. Friend is making an impassioned speech, for which I am grateful. Mackintosh himself started as an apprentice architect aged just 16. Would my hon. Friend agree that as we restore the building, which must be done, there is an important opportunity for the next generation of Glaswegians and others to be part of that project, allowing them to secure their own future?
Torcuil Crichton
I could not agree more. We must remember that the art school itself began as a design school—almost an engineering school for the shipyards and the industrial base of Scotland. There is a plan to make the art school, with a restored Mackintosh building, the anchor of cultural and economic development again.
What my right hon. Friend the Member for Oxford East says is true: the Glasgow School of Art and the Mackintosh building have become a symbol of Glasgow, and Glasgow has a symbiotic relationship with the art school. That is why it is tragic to see it in its current condition. As the right hon. Member for Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale (David Mundell) pointed out, the Mack is not simply a national treasure for Scotland; it is a cultural and creative asset for the whole of the UK. It is an emblem of what Scotland has contributed to the global story of design and success over the last century.
It should not just be left to Glasgow School of Art, to Scotland or to the alumni of the art school to take this on. Collectively, we are all custodians of the Mackintosh. It should fall on us as a nation to restore the building to its glory. The Government should be willing and ready to engage with Glasgow School of Art in the project. Let us be clear: this can be done. We need only look across the channel to the example of Notre-Dame, which was burnt down in a fire in 2019. The French Government stepped in with the full muscle of the state to implement a reconstruction programme.
Douglas Lumsden (Aberdeen South) (Con)
Would the hon. Member agree that the SNP Government need to play a role in this? So far, they have been silent on the subject.
Torcuil Crichton
I would temper my language and invite the Scottish Government, the UK Government and other interested parties to come together, put their hands under the Mack and lift it out of the ashes. There is a case for doing that, as a fully restored Mack, in line with the Glasgow School of Art’s ambitions to deliver a re-energised cultural quarter for Glasgow, can be just as much an economic driver for the city and the country as Notre-Dame is for France.
Patricia Ferguson (Glasgow West) (Lab)
My hon. Friend is being very generous with his time this evening. As he knows, I went to school next door to the art school, and it has always held a special place in my life. Does he agree that the position of the art school in Glasgow is extremely important? We might be able to track some of the decline of Sauchiehall Street to the fact that the Mack, which could be seen from that street, has been in its current condition for such a long time. The regeneration of the Mack would go some way to helping the development and economy of Glasgow as a whole.
Torcuil Crichton
I agree with my hon. Friend. Part of the Glasgow School of Art’s ambition is that the Mack building could anchor the regeneration of the whole of Garnethill and that part of the city.
Right now, all we have are the singed bones of the building, shrouded in scaffold for so long while the Glasgow School of Art grappled with the insurance arbitration process.
I understand that there may be some progress: the street may be reclaimed to some extent, and we will see the mausoleum of the building visible but protected. However, preventing the building from collapsing appears to be close to the limit of what the Glasgow School of Art can deliver on its own through the insurance claim. I take the point made by the hon. Member for Aberdeen South (Douglas Lumsden) that the Scottish Government, as well as the UK Government, could have a role to play in putting their hands underneath the Mack and supporting its restoration.
There is a plan for restoration. There is passion and professionalism in the design team commissioned to look at the restoration, and there is an economic analysis produced by the Glasgow School of Art to rebuild the Mackintosh. That is compelling and attractive, because heritage-led place making is often one of the most effective tools for driving urban regeneration. It is a tried and tested formula, and this approach would see the reinstated Mack building contribute to the economy and the regeneration of Glasgow, as has been pointed out, but it cannot be done by the Glasgow School of Art alone, the UK Government alone or the Scottish Government alone; we must do it together.
Because I was in Glasgow on Friday attending the Mòd, I missed the Prime Minister’s speech in neighbouring Motherwell in which he offered a new direction and a promise of a new deal between Scotland’s two Governments. On the way back south, I listened to the speech— I played it back—and it struck me as a very nuanced and sophisticated offer of co-operation. I hope, beyond the rhetoric, it is recognised as such in Bute House and in Holyrood. I know the SNP First Minster had some speech making of his own to do on the weekend—I did not play his speech back, I must admit—but if I were him, I would listen closely again to the Prime Minister’s message and to my own. If he is looking for progress, he should realise that for the Mack and for Glasgow, he could be in for a big win for himself and for both Governments. Nothing could symbolise a new era of doing politics differently in Scotland than the two Governments coming together, with other interested parties, to raise the Mack out of the ashes and do nothing less than restore it to its former glory.
David Smith (North Northumberland) (Lab)
I thank my hon. Friend for giving way; he is being very generous with his time. Like so many other Members, I have personal connections to the Mack. My best friend went there. I went to the University of Glasgow and he went to the Mack—he is now a successful photographer. My hon. Friend mentions the Prime Minister. Does he agree that one of the aims of everything we do should be culture in every postcode? Whether we are from North Northumberland or South West Devon, that should be our aim.
Torcuil Crichton
My hon. Friend proves my point that the Mack and its influence echoes in every postcode in every part of Britain and beyond.
In terms of solutions, some have called for the Mack building to be part of an independent body. The Charles Rennie Mackintosh Society, for example, has called for an independent body to oversee the restoration of the building and for its ownership to be transferred away from the Glasgow School of Art. Personally, I am agnostic about the means but devout about the delivery. I believe that restoring the Mack simply must be done.
Martin Rhodes
From what my hon. Friend is saying, I think he agrees with me that, although we must look at all the options for delivering the restoration, we must remain focused on achieving the endpoint, which is the restoration.
Torcuil Crichton
Restoring the Mack should be everyone’s priority.
All proposals are worth exploring around the table with all interested parties. The Minister who will answer from the Dispatch Box tonight has experience and a reputation for conflict resolution. She is ideally placed to persuade both Governments to seriously consider how they can achieve this joint aim: the faithful restoration of the Mack as a living, breathing school and studio, sparking the inspiration for another generation and another century in Scotland.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland (Melanie Ward)
I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Na h-Eileanan an Iar (Torcuil Crichton) on securing this debate and thank him for his kind words. I am very pleased to respond on behalf of the Government. Indeed, the strong showing of Scottish MPs tonight is remarkable, given the time of night. I think that reflects the strength of feeling on the topic in this Chamber—although I do wish a colleague from the SNP had been able to join us as well.
My hon. Friend has rightly paid tribute to Glasgow School of Art and to the generations of students, artists, designers and architects who have studied there and gone on to make their mark, at home and around the world. His speech was characteristic of his oracy in this place in its warmth, passion and strength of advocacy for causes that matter to our part of the world. The Charles Rennie Mackintosh building, known as the Mack, is much more than a historic building. It is a core part of the Glasgow School of Art, which is a world-renowned institution, a source of pride for Glasgow and Scotland, and an important part of the United Kingdom’s creative and cultural life. We heard that very clearly from my right hon. Friend the Member for Oxford East (Anneliese Dodds) and my hon. Friend the Member for North Northumberland (David Smith).
Having grown up in Helensburgh, the site of the Hill House, I learned to admire the art of Charles Rennie Mackintosh from an early age. Indeed, one of the great joys of my job as Minister for Scotland, and even in the first three months, has been seeing so many examples of Scotland’s extraordinary arts and culture scene, from the Wemyss Ware cat trail in Kirkcaldy, in my own constituency, to the Edinburgh festival and fringe, to the Pier Arts Centre in Orkney. I also remember visiting the Mack as a student and marvelling at it. I want to share my heartfelt appreciation to everyone who has worked tirelessly to protect and restore its architectural heritage following the devastating fires of 2014 and 2018. The school’s commitment to faithful restoration of the building is inspiring, and the expertise and determination of those involved deserve our recognition.
I know how deeply the fires and the damage to the Mack affected people across Scotland. The loss resonated far beyond Glasgow, striking at the heart of the UK’s cultural heritage. The impact was felt most acutely by the local community and nearby businesses whose lives and livelihoods were disrupted. My hon. Friend the Member for Glasgow North (Martin Rhodes), in whose constituency the building stands, rightly talked about the need for us to learn lessons, and my hon. Friend the Member for Glenrothes and Mid Fife (Richard Baker) spoke about his constituency’s connection with the Mack. I know that many constituencies, including mine, have connections with the Glasgow School of Art as well. As would be expected, these issues have been debated a number of times in the Scottish Parliament. Today we consider not only the future of a remarkable historic building, but the future of an institution that continues to contribute to our cultural identity and international standing.
Along with the Secretary of State for Scotland, I recently met members of the Glasgow School of Art’s leadership. They informed us that their work to assess the building’s future had reached an important stage. In July this year, the school published an updated assessment of the options for the Mackintosh building, following the settlement of its long-running insurance claim. The school envisions the reinstatement of the building as part of a heritage-led economic regeneration project, building on the existing creative and cultural assets in Glasgow. That would strengthen the creative eco-system and would further position the city as one of the UK’s leading creative centres. The school has confirmed its intention to pursue an enabling project, funded through the insurance settlement, with work expected to begin in 2027. Its governors have also made it clear that the school cannot undertake a faithful reinstatement of the building on its own, and that partnership will be essential if that ambition is to be realised.
These developments underline both the scale of the challenge and the importance of considering what role Scotland’s two Governments and other partners might play. Current work has focused on a temporary solution, which could be weather-proof and lay the groundwork for a complete restoration at a point when further funding and partnerships are secured. The question of Government support must, of course, be considered carefully: public money has to be used responsibly, and any proposal must be assessed against clear evidence of need, affordability, deliverability, and public benefit. We must be clear about the financial realities. As my hon. Friend the Member for Na h-Eileanan an Iar said, the cost of a full, faithful reconstruction, paired with wider district regeneration, is estimated to reach about £265 million. However, we should also recognise the potential long-term value of protecting a building of such exceptional significance, and the opportunities that its future could create for Glasgow and for Scotland as a whole. The Chair of the Select Committee, my hon. Friend the Member for Glasgow West (Patricia Ferguson), gave an example of that.
Following the 2014 fire, the UK Government committed £10 million in funding to support the Glasgow School of Art. This was provided to the Scottish Government for the Mackintosh appeal, and, as we heard from the right hon. Member for Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale (David Mundell), an additional £5 million was provided in 2015-16. Of course, culture and heritage are devolved matters, and the Scottish Government have responsibility for this policy and funding in Scotland. We respect that settlement and the principles of devolution, as the Prime Minister made so clear in Motherwell last week. Although I was encouraged to hear that the Glasgow School of Art was included in the Scottish Government’s programme for government, I understand that the school is waiting to meet with the Cabinet Secretary for Education, Culture and Gaelic following its publication. We hope that the commitments made will be matched with tangible action and concrete plans.
We will continue to work constructively with the Scottish Government, Glasgow city council, the Glasgow School of Art and other relevant heritage organisations. The UK Government continue to deliver transformational investment across the wider Glasgow area, including over £870 million of funding injected into the region through the Glasgow city region deal, alongside Pride in Place funding and more than £60 million of new local growth funding.
My hon. Friend the Member for Na h-Eileanan an Iar rightly referred to the Prime Minister’s message to the Scottish Government last week, and to the need for us to work together. The Glasgow city region is an excellent example of that, as it has benefited from £500 million each from the UK and Scottish Governments. Through our joint financial backing, we are empowering local leaders from the Glasgow city region to make spending decisions based on opportunities for local economic growth and prosperity.
As the Glasgow School of Art leadership seeks to build a case for investment that links culture to economic benefit for the people of the region, the city region is an important partner. I particularly encourage the school and those advocating on its behalf to maintain discussions with the National Lottery Heritage Fund, which has previously provided it with almost £5 million of support. Its heritage places initiative is supporting Glasgow more widely, and its national heritage memorial fund is important too. These funds cannot meet the full cost of restoration, but they may be able to support key phases and how it benefits wider communities.
We must also ensure that the benefits of culture and creativity are not confined to those who already have the greatest opportunities. I am reminded of the enormous contribution of Jennie Lee, who grew up in Cowdenbeath, in my constituency, and who was the first ever Minister for the Arts. She argued for the centrality of arts and culture in daily life, alongside the functional necessities—or, as some in the Labour tradition of those on my side of the House have put it, “bread and roses”.
This debate is an important opportunity to recognise the Glasgow School of Art’s contribution to our national life, and to consider how best to secure a brighter future for the Mack. I am grateful to my hon. Friend the Member for Na h-Eileanan an Iar for bringing these issues before the House and to all who have contributed, including my hon. Friends the Members for North Ayrshire and Arran (Irene Campbell) and for North Northumberland. I will ensure that the points raised in this debate, including the case for new support and the other proposals to which my hon. Friend the Member for Na h-Eileanan an Iar has referred, are conveyed to relevant ministerial colleagues. I cannot make a commitment to new funding today, but I can reaffirm our willingness to listen, to engage with all partners, as he suggested, and to explore practical and realistic ways forward, including new suggestions that may come along. I hope, too, that the Scottish Government will act, and that they will hear our willingness to act with them.
The Mack inspired generations of artists and designers, helped to define Glasgow’s artistic identity, and earned a place on the world stage. We owe it to those who built that legacy, to the communities who cherish it and to the generations yet to come to give serious consideration as to how it can continue.
Question put and agreed to.