Christopher BarrettFormer shadow culture minister & DCMS Select Committee member Kevin Brennan has been elected the new chair of the influential All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Music.
The Labour MP for Cardiff West, Brennan will now head the APPG that has more than 100 members and is one of the largest in Westminster. The APPG brings together MPs, Peers and the music industry to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing the sector, which contributed £5.8 billion to the UK economy pre-pandemic.
The MP actively campaigned for increased government support for the live music industry, and festivals sector, during the Covid-19 related lockdown.
Brennan, a keen musician and songwriter, said, “I’m looking forward to working with all sectors of the UK’s world-leading music industry on a huge range of issues. This is a crucial time for the sector and I hope we can all work together to bring about positive changes and grow the industry.”
Conservative MP Sir Greg Knight and Labour MP Alex Sobel were elected as co-chairs of the APPG, for which UK Music provides the secretariat. Brennan replaces the previous chair, Conservative MP David Warburton.