Creative Industries: Creating Jobs and Productivity Growth

Lord Lemos Excerpts

Thursday 6th February 2025 Lords Chamber

[Lord Lemos (Lab) (Maiden Speech)]

My Lords, I am privileged to be making my maiden speech today. It is only a few days since my introduction, but I could not resist the opportunity of this debate. I refer to my entry on the register of interests.

First, I thank the staff and officers of the House for their warm welcome, especially the doorkeepers—and particularly the doorkeeper who kindly turned down my collar. Kindness and courtesy are hallmarks of your Lordships’ House and I promise to uphold those traditions.

My father brought the family from India to south London in 1963. This was a year subsequently made famous by Philip Larkin, but I was only five years old in 1963. My father was an Anglophile and a great admirer of British democracy. He soon became a lifelong supporter of the Conservative Party. My mother, on the other hand, supported Labour, but always accepted a lift to the polling station on election day from the local Conservatives—her small but important contribution to the ongoing class war. Both my parents would be surprised and proud to see me here today—perhaps even astonished—but not as delighted and proud as I am.

Like my noble friend Lady Andrews, who kindly supported my introduction, I worked with Lord Young of Dartington at the Institute for Community Studies in Bethnal Green. Michael Young’s view was that everyone, most especially himself, had to think about, to write about and to do lots of things, all at the same time. I acquired the habit of professional multitasking from Michael.

My main professional vocation has been researching and writing about public policy. For many years, I also worked in financial services, where I first met my noble friend Lord Stevenson of Balmacara. He also supported me at my introduction. I am now proud to be chair of National Savings & Investments as well as of English Heritage. I will shortly stand down as lead non-executive director of His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service. Noble Lords do not need me to remind them that prisons and probation face intractable and enduring challenges. The arrival of my noble friend Lord Timpson as Minister has given us all great hope.

I have also been deputy chair of the British Council, supporting my noble friends Lady Kennedy of The Shaws and Lord Kinnock, before taking over briefly myself. The British Council is, of course, the principal agency for promoting our creative industries internationally. I am the unremunerated chair of the Hofesh Shechter Company which undertakes more international touring than any other UK-based contemporary dance company. In 2025, 200,000 people will watch our dancers all over the world, including a full house at the Old Vic tonight.

International touring is increasingly difficult for theatre, music and dance. Tax and visa regulations have become immeasurably more complicated, extremely time-consuming and expensive. Everyone in the performing arts hopes that improving relations with the European Union will greatly simplify and speed up these arrangements. My noble friend Lady Hodge is reviewing Arts Council England. I hope she recommends that it publishes a strategy not just to remove these obstacles to international touring but, more importantly, to fulfil the potential of the performing arts as cultural exports of British creative excellence. Britain’s international reputation will be greatly enhanced, as well as our soft power on which we so rely. As other noble Lords have mentioned, creativity is the wellspring of many of the UK’s best prospects for economic growth. I hope the Minister will agree that when it comes to celebrating British creative excellence internationally, all the world’s a stage.