Government must fix ‘gaping hole’ in EU trade deal

The Liberal Democrats have called for the UK Government to take swift action to support the UK creative industry, which is being hard hit by the current EU trading arrangements.   During the post-Brexit negotiations, European officials offered the UK a tailored package to support the creative industries. This would’ve seen some elements of temporary Freedom of Movement retained for the UK and EU performers and companies.   However the UK Government rejected these plans, and this has had a huge impact on the ability of UK performers, artists and performers to tour Europe and greatly reduced the opportunities available to new, aspiring talent.   Today in the House of Lords Liberal Democrat peer Lord Paul Strasburger, who is campaigning on this issue with Sir Elton John, pushed the Government on what they are going to do to fix this crisis and support the UK creative industry.   Speaking after his question, Lord Strasburger said:   “The creative arts industry is worth over £111bn to the UK economy every single year. As we look to rebuild from the pandemic, we must ensure this industry is able to grow and thrive.   “Sadly, the Government has failed to listen to the industry’s concerns about the EU trade deal and their reckless behaviour has now left UK performers facing an almost insurmountable level of red tape and cost.   “This not only hurts those who perform, it also has a huge knock on effect for the whole supply chain. Almost 1-in-8 British companies are affected by these changes - putting many thousands of jobs at risk.   “This gaping hole in the EU trade agreement must be rectified urgently. That is why I am working with industry leaders and A-list performers like Elton John to get the Government to act.”