Jack Gamble retweeted
“There are parts of this Budget that will help the arts, and which we welcome: changes to business rates that will benefit many cultural organisations; paid parental leave for self-employed workers; new local powers, such as visitor levies, which could benefit culture if they are used well; and £15m to put books into children’s hands through BookTrust and Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.
But the Budget did nothing to reverse the long-term, overall decline in public investment in culture, and the spending plans it leaves in place point to a further squeeze. Today the Chancellor said he wants to ‘reject crude cuts’ that ‘drive up costs elsewhere in the system’. He is right, and cuts to culture are a case in point: their costs are felt in people’s wellbeing, in the vibrancy of local communities and in our social fabric. We hope he will keep this in mind when setting plans for culture spending at next year’s Spending Review.
The government’s 10-year plan, due later this year, is a real opportunity to change course. Over 50,000 people have signed our petition asking for the arts to be part of it: available from childhood, accessible to all and thriving everywhere.
By revitalising the arts, we can revitalise the nation.”
Image credit:
📸 Carrie Davenport
💃 Fidget Feet performing at Earthchild 2026, presented by @artsekta
📍 Titanic Belfast
We're so close to reaching 50,000 signatures on @_CFTA's petition to @andyburnham, urging him to put the arts & culture in his 10-year plan for the UK.
Please consider adding your name, to help us reach this major milestone 👇
campaignforthearts.org/petit…
Jack Gamble retweeted
The Tories used to be such champions of the arts, so sad to see this. We should of course be funding more prison places, and the Government are, but not by sacrificing arts and culture funding.
We will cut the arts & culture budget by £1bn in order to fund 50,000 prison places. Keeping rapists and other dangerous offenders locked up is a priority for the @Conservatives. We will always put community safety first.
@RichmoMusic If you need help understanding the numbers, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. Always happy to talk you through.
thetimes.com/article/77bcee1…
Jack Gamble retweeted
Really disappointed by this. It shouldn’t be a question of one over the other.
The arts are one of our biggest & fastest growing sectors. We should invest more not cut.
Cutting funding makes us less competitive internationally and will hurt future generations of British talent.
We will cut the arts & culture budget by £1bn in order to fund 50,000 prison places. Keeping rapists and other dangerous offenders locked up is a priority for the @Conservatives. We will always put community safety first.
@RichmoMusic If you need help understanding the numbers, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. Always happy to talk you through.
thetimes.com/article/77bcee1…
I don't believe @Rebecca_SPaul wants to undermine the UK's fantastic cultural sector, or the countless benefits it brings socially and economically, to people's lives and to Britain's place in the world.
Unfortunately, this policy does just that. It's not too late to rethink it.
Jack Gamble retweeted
The BBC isn't another streaming service, it's a public service. That's the whole point of it. It makes content that isn't economically viable in the marketplace but nevertheless serves the public good. What you're advocating is like having a subscription service for parks
Jack Gamble retweeted
We're deeply concerned that the Shadow Culture Secretary appears to be arguing for an end to almost all public investment in arts & culture.
A cut of this magnitude would be unprecedented and catastrophic. We've requested a full explanation of the numbers and a serious rethink.
We will cut the arts & culture budget by £1bn in order to fund 50,000 prison places. Keeping rapists and other dangerous offenders locked up is a priority for the @Conservatives. We will always put community safety first.
@RichmoMusic If you need help understanding the numbers, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. Always happy to talk you through.
thetimes.com/article/77bcee1…
Jack Gamble retweeted
British music 🤝 The BBC
BPI CEO Dr Jo Twist OBE speaking at @gobeyondmcr 2026:
"As you may know, the BBC is currently undergoing a once-in-a-decade Charter Review by the UK Government. On behalf of the UK’s recorded music sector, I’d like to acknowledge and thank the BBC for their tireless commitment to supporting and platforming British music and artists – whether through their long-standing support of the Mercury Prize, their decades-long partnership with the Official Charts Company, the incredible impact of BBC Introducing, their international programming at the British Music Embassy, and so much more.
You might have seen the advert, “what has the BBC ever done for me?” on your TV screens or your social media in recent months. In the case of the UK’s music ecosystem, the BBC has done, and continues to do, an extraordinary amount. British music would not be the cultural or economic powerhouse that it is today without its support.
The BBC gave me my first career job as a journalist. I spent 9 years in total there, and know how importantly it takes British culture in all its forms, alongside British life and risk-taking. That experience taught me that public service broadcasting does more than just mirror culture. At its best, it gives new voices the confidence, platform and reach to shape it.
The BBC needs to be funded adequately and sustainably so that it can continue to invest in British music, and support and champion future generations of music talent.”
At her keynote speech at Beyond the Music 2026, BPI CEO Dr Jo Twist OBE highlighted the BBC’s vital role in supporting British artists, championing new talent and helping UK music reach audiences at home and around the world.
As the BBC undergoes its Charter Review, she stressed the importance of adequate and sustainable funding to ensure this support continues for future generations of music talent.
Read the full speech here: bpi.co.uk/news/13468806
Jack Gamble retweeted
Every profession I'm in is in trouble: public service broadcasting; university arts and humanities depts; book publishing; arts in schools.
Jack Gamble retweeted
CFTA responds to the House of Commons DCMS Select Committee’s inquiry into the future of the BBC ⬇️
ALT “We welcome this report from the DCMS Select Committee, and in particular its recognition of the vital importance of the BBC to the UK’s creative ecosystem and national life. Today, only 80% of households contribute to the BBC, but 94% of us use it each month and 100% of us benefit from its existence. The BBC is social glue, economic fuel, cultural and democratic sustenance. It is simply not possible to opt out of the benefits it brings to the UK and everyone in it – and that’s why it should be funded by everyone and made accessible to everyone, free at the point of use. We passionately agree with the Committee that ‘a means of universal funding’ must once again underpin this universal public service, and with their urging the Government ‘to keep an open mind on a household levy as a potential future model for funding the BBC’. Ministers can and should be bold in crafting a new Charter for the BBC, built from first principles and built to last.” – Jack Gamble, CFTA Director
At @_CFTA we welcome this report from the DCMS Select Committee, and in particular its recognition of the vital importance of the BBC to the UK’s creative ecosystem and national life.
(1/5)
The BBC is at a fork in the road.
MPs on the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee have published a new report urging the BBC to create a plan to ensure it is fit for the future and able to compete with the best in the world.
Read more 👇
committees.parliament.uk/com…
We passionately agree with the Committee that "a means of universal funding" must once again underpin this universal public service, and with their urging the Government "to keep an open mind on a household levy as a potential future model for funding the BBC".
(4/5)
Ministers can and should be bold in crafting a new Charter for the BBC, built from first principles and built to last.
(5/5)
campaignforthearts.org/news/…
Jack Gamble retweeted
🚨 BREAKING: UK national museums & galleries "will remain free, to all of us, forever".
Speaking at Tate Liverpool yesterday, Culture Sec Lisa Nandy put the debate to bed, pledging to defend free access for everyone 🏛️ 🌍
Jack Gamble retweeted
🎥 In her maiden House of Lords speech, the new Arts Minister reiterated the Government's pledge to revitalise arts education.
We warmly welcome @ruthmackenzie's commitment to that pledge. Our research continues to highlight the scale of the crisis in arts education [...]