Christopher BarrettArtists, industry representatives, MPs and peers will take part in a Parliamentary briefing today at 11am, ahead of a Government debate at 4.30pm, in support of Tim Brennan’s petition to secure free EU movement for touring artists and professionals.
The Petitions Committee debate has sprung from Brennan’s Carry On Touring campaign, which has seen his petition signed by more than 283,000 people.
Speakers at the briefing (see full list below) will include Parklife festival (cap. 80,000) co-founder Sacha Lord and UK Music CEO JamieNjoku-Goodwin.
Last month, more than 100 leading artists and industry executives signed a letter to Government calling on it to cut the touring red tape and accusing it of “shamefully failing” the country’s performers with its Brexit deal.
The campaign is urging Government to return to the negotiation table and secure reciprocal arrangements for specified work between the EU and the UK. It is calling for Government to ensure that complicated and costly Carnets will not be required for portable musical instruments, and that systems are put in place also to provide grant support for the additional costs of Carnets that may be incurred by bands, groups of musicians and touring professionals travelling together.
Campaign coordinator Gill Morris said, “Clearly Tim’s petition has chimed a chord with the public and the many UK artists and professionals who tour in the cities and nations across Europe. To put it simply, failure to include an EU-wide cultural work permit and visa free travel for touring professionals and artists will have a catastrophic effect across all touring art forms.”
A letter will be sent to the Prime Minister following the Petitions Committee debate today.
Today’s briefing can be watched live here. It will run from 11am – 12.30pm. Passcode: 4321.
SPEAKERS INCLUDE:
- Tim Brennan, Petition Creator & Freelancer
- Ian Smith, Frusion Management & UKE Arts Work
- Louise Richards, Executive Director of Motionhouse
- Eliza Carthy MBE, Folk Singer
- Howard Goodall CBE, Composer
- Fish (Derek Dicks), Singer-songwriter, Marillion
- Sacha Lord, Director of the Warehouse Project & GMCA NTE Advisor
- Jamie Njoku-Goodwin, CEO of UK Music
- Horace Trubridge, General Secretary of the Musicians’ Union
- Noel McClean, National Secretary of BECTU
- Jessie Murphy, Founder of Let Music Live
PARLIAMENTARIANS INCLUDE:
- Julie Elliott MP
- Tracy Brabin MP
- Kerry McCartney MP
- Lord Tony Berkeley
- Lord Michael German
- Pete Wishart MP
- Alan Brown MP
- Peter Grant MP
- Jason McCartney MP
- Stuart McDonald MP
- Tommy Sheppard MP
- Alex Sobel MP
- Liz Twist MP
- Matt Western MP