ACE caught in the eye of the political storm

ACE’s decision to postpone the announcement of the 2023-26 National Portfolio, just as Rishi Sunak was about to assume his premiership, has sent the sector into understandable expressions of anguish and outrage on Twitter.

People commented: “fuming”, “reeling”, “deeply frustrating”, “abject mindmessing”, as well as “sending sympathy and hugs” and “solidarity and love”. But, in the end, for most it is just a matter of it being “so f**king exhausting”.

In the feeds though, there are plenty of voices of pragmatism, assuming there is nothing more sinister in the delay than the government wanting to ensure there are no major announcements in Sunak’s first days in office, or allowing time for the potential implications of the government reshuffle.

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There are also significant numbers among the twitterati calling for people to remember that the unchartered waters we now inhabit are equally new to the no doubt beleaguered staff at ACE: “Would bet ££s they got their email a couple of hours before we got ours,” one tweeter remarked.

So, while the optimistic view of the delay is simply that it is a sign of caution, but not of undue concern in the longer term to the funding outcomes, there is still palpable fear that the whole package might be abandoned as part of the latest round of austerity. “What fresh hell is this?”

What is crystal clear though from this 11th hour delay "following discussions with DCMS" – if it needed re-stating – is that the arm’s length principle is well and truly dead. The principle which enshrines the idea that ACE’s business should be separate from day-to-day party politics was laid to rest unequivocally just as Sunak was giving his first speech as PM on the steps of 10 Downing Street.

At the time of writing, we await news of possibly another Culture Secretary*, which would be the 12th in as many years. If there is to be a new incumbent, are they likely to want to go ahead with such a major reallocation of funding, tied to a policy – Levelling Up – which was forged two Prime Ministers ago?

*Update: It has since been confirmed that Michelle Donelan remains as Secretary of State for Culture.