Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey

Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey

Photo: Liberal Democrats

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Lib Dems pledge to protect arts funding

Party's general election manifesto criticises Conservative government's lack of support for the culture sector, claiming that following the pandemic it has 'only inflicted more damage'.

Neil Puffett
2 min read

The Liberal Democrats would protect arts funding and reengage with the Creative Europe programme if it wins the general election under policies set out in its manifesto.

Published today (10 June), the manifesto features four policies directly related to the creative and cultural sectors. It says the party will "protect sports and arts funding via the National Lottery" and "boost funding for cultural and creative projects by applying to participate fully in Creative Europe".

Alongside this, it will maintain free access to national museums and galleries and establish creative enterprise zones to "grow and regenerate the cultural output of areas across the UK".

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Further to these four specific poliies, the party has also pledged to "upgrade the status of tourism in government" by having a dedicated Minister of State for Tourism and Hospitality.

"The UK’s rich and vibrant cultural heritage is a national treasure. Our creative and tourism industries contribute billions of pounds to our economy and employ millions of people," the manifesto states.

"Art, music, drama and sports bring people together. They are an essential part of a thriving society.

"The Covid pandemic hit culture and tourism businesses extremely hard. And instead of helping, the Conservatives have only inflicted even more damage. 

"They have downgraded the status of arts subjects at school, slashed funding for them at university, and erected new barriers to British musicians and actors performing elsewhere in Europe following our withdrawal from the EU.

"Liberal Democrats will invest in our cultural capital and nurture the next generation of talent. We will support the creative and tourism industries across the UK so that businesses can thrive and people everywhere can enjoy the benefits of sports, music and the arts."

With little more than three weeks until the 4 July election, the BBC's poll tracker – which uses information from a variety of polls – has the Lib Dems in fourth place on 10%, behind the Reform Party in third with 14%.