Live Music

Baroness Bonham-Carter of Yarnbury Excerpts

Thursday 2nd July 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Bonham-Carter of Yarnbury (LD)]

My Lords, I thank the noble Lord, Lord Brennan. As the last debate was a little short, maybe at the end he could give us a little performance.

From concerts and festivals in stadiums and fields to small local venues, such as churches, mosques, temples and pubs, as the noble Baroness, Lady Wilcox, mentioned, music brings us together as a nation, as my friend the noble Baroness, Lady Anelay, said. It is about celebration, as mentioned by the noble Lord, Lord Brennan.

I want to mention the BBC: it champions live music, providing a wide range to suit everyone’s taste, including that which is not played anywhere else. It nurtures and launches British musicians’ careers. The BBC Proms, the five British BBC orchestras and the BBC Singers support an amazing education programme across the UK. We need to get the next charter review right and secure sustainable funding for the BBC; otherwise, there will be disruption not just to our media ecosystem but to that of the UK’s creative industries, including music.

Then there is the disaster that is Brexit. I am so pleased that I can still debate with the noble Earl, Lord Clancarty—welcome. Europe-wide touring for British musicians has been severely crippled by bureaucratic post-Brexit barriers, and the Government have so far failed to achieve tangible progress for musicians as part of the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement. Can the Minister tell us whether there is any progress with short-term work permits and the 90-day rule?

Al Pinkerton, my colleague in another place, has a Private Members’ Bill which asks for a bespoke custom union deal with the EU. This is a sensible and practical way forward. It would provide solutions and could open negotiations to rejoin Creative Europe. It could also provide touring artists with expanded creative opportunities and frictionless travel for themselves and their instruments. Would the Minister agree that we need such pragmatic thinking to address these issues?

I have not got time, but I completely agree with the noble Baroness, Lady Gill, about the problem of AI.