Regional museums in the UK could see an increase in loans of works from national institutions should the Labour party win the general election on 4 July.
The policy is one that has come to light following the publication of most of the major parties’ manifestos last week. Earlier in the campaign, The Art Newspaper spoke to representatives of Labour, the Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats and the Green Party about their plans for the cultural sector, and the full manifestos have offered further insight.
Labour state that they will implement their “creative industries sector plan” as part of an “industrial strategy”. This includes their proposals to support regional museums. The manifesto states: “Labour will improve access to cultural assets by requiring publicly funded national museums and galleries to increase the loans they make from their collections to communities across the country.”
Labour’s arts offer gets an endorsement in the manifesto from actor Imelda Staunton, who was made a dame after being named on King Charles III’s birthday honours list last week. She says: “I welcome Labour’s proposals set out by Keir Starmer to broaden opportunity and make sure all young people have access to the arts. Opening up access to creativity in our schools is critical, not just so that our children have a better chance at a career in the arts, but because access is what will fuel growth in the creative industries—one of the most important sectors for the future of the economy—creating good jobs in all corners of the country.”
The arts and culture section of the Conservative Party manifesto focuses on protecting public monuments, in response to calls for the removal of some that are linked to Britain’s colonial past. The manifesto states: “The Conservative Party will always protect our national heritage—including statues, monuments and memorials. We will keep our ‘retain and explain’ guidance under review to ensure it supports custodians in the preservation of our national history and heritage.”
Although the Tories don’t commit to new public funding for cultural institutions, the manifesto says that they will seek further support from the private sector. “Government has the power to leverage philanthropy for good causes and cultural institutions,” it states. “We will work with individuals, businesses, charities and other networks to find opportunities to unleash this even further.”
The Liberal Democrats criticise the government’s record in the sector, referencing their Brexit deal, which the Liberal Democrats say makes cultural exchange more difficult with neighbouring countries. Their own manifesto promises to address this by negotiating “free and simple short-term travel arrangements for UK artists to perform in the EU, and European artists to perform in the UK.” They also plan to “boost funding for cultural and creative projects by applying to participate fully in Creative Europe.” Creative Europe is an EU funding programme set up to support the cultural and creative sectors across the continent.
The Green Party manifesto reflects similar priorities, outlining plans to secure visa-free access to the EU for artists.
It also contains two concrete financial policies aimed at improving funding for the arts. Elected Green MPs will campaign to “exempt cultural events, including everything from theatre and museum tickets to gigs in local pubs, from paying VAT”. The party also want to “invest an extra £5bn over five years for local government spending on arts and culture to fund keeping local museums, theatres, libraries and art galleries open and thriving”.
Reform UK’s manifesto is titled “Our Contract With You”. It doesn’t include any information about the arts, museums, galleries or cultural institutions.