UK politics

The UK Ministry of Culture is where politicians' careers go to die—but Oliver Dowden has emerged victorious, thanks to the culture wars

The future integrity of the arts sector will depend on whether institutions are able to stand up to the next culture secretary

Oxford professors refuse to teach undergraduate students if Cecil Rhodes statue stays in place

Oriel College said it had no plans to “begin the legal process for relocation” of the monument

UK culture war: museum trustees are paying the price for disagreeing with government's policies

Several board members who do not support the "retain and explain" policy championed by the ruling party have recently left or lost their roles within the arts

Don’t trash talk museums at this perilous time: we must adapt—not throw away—our cultural heritage

Cultural institutions—like religious buildings—can be spaces of good and harm, we cannot simply denounce their histories as one or the other, says museum director Nicholas Thomas

Oxford college will not remove controversial statue of British imperialist Cecil Rhodes

Independent commission recommends contextualising the sculpture instead

Fuelling culture war, UK government forms new 'retain and explain' board for controversial monuments

"Independence cuts both ways," UK culture secretary Oliver Dowden warns museums and heritage bodies

Museum directors and art school leaders demand that UK government ‘scraps cuts to arts education’

"Art is essential to the growth of this country," say 300 art world figures and academics in open letter

Uproar as UK government plans to cut funding for arts education by 50% to prioritise 'high-value subjects'

Artists express concerns and the Public Campaign for the Arts launches a petition as the consultation on the planned budget cuts to higher education ends today

UK culture war heats up as arts professionals question veto of trustee appointment at Royal Museums Greenwich

Museums Association says government refusal to renew academic Aminul Hoque’s term is “worrying”, and the chair of trustees has resigned over the decision

Plans to build new Museum of Brexit move ahead with plea for funds and objects

Institution initially called the Museum of Sovereignty will present a balanced picture of the divisive EU debate, say founders

UK art trade questions who benefits from England's freeport bonanza

Eight mega warehouses announced in the budget will 'unlock billions' in investment, says the government, but they have a tarnished reputation, market analysts warn

UK Budget 2021: further £408m boost for struggling culture sector

Chancellor Rishi Sunak digs deep, adding £300m to the £1.57bn Cultural Recovery Fund, £90m more for museums, and £18m for cultural community projects

Are museums as Covid-risky as saunas? Culture leaders outraged over late reopening of English art spaces

Commercial galleries, non-essential retail, and even gyms have been given the green light to open before museums under the UK government's "roadmap" to lift coronavirus restrictions

Bank of England wades into UK's escalating culture war on controversial monuments, saying it will remove images of slave owners

“Retain and explain” or restrain and refrain? Culture chiefs raise the alarm on government’s policy to keep problematic statues ahead of crucial meeting

City of London to remove statues of politicians with slavery links

The decision to take down historic William Beckford and John Cass sculptures could go against new UK government policy

No additional funds: UK's £1.57bn emergency arts bailout must last organisations until March 2022

Arts Council England launches second round of loans worth £100m with £300m grant applications to follow

Podcastspodcast

Brexit: how will it change the art market?

Plus, Neville Wakefield on John McCracken's planks

Hosted by Ben Luke. Produced by Julia Michalska, David Clack and Aimee Dawson

Spending Review: UK museums to receive £320m during ‘biggest economic decline in 300 years’

Chancellor Rishi Sunak announces slight boost to culture department's budget, but some institutions face extended closure under new tiered system

UK's £120m post-Brexit festival selects teams—including art organisations—for next step of controversial initiative

Serpentine Galleries, Tate and historian David Olusoga are on the shortlist for £3m research and development funding

'Publicise your grants online': UK culture minister wades into row over rescue funding demands

Oliver Dowden confirms recipients were "encouraged" to acknowledge fund on websites and social media

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Post-Brexit UK festival chief seeks country’s 'brightest talents' amid criticism over £120m cost

The project, planned for 2022, promises £3m in total to successful applications

Bailout fail? Fewer than half of museums in England apply for government’s £1.57bn rescue package

Survey by The Art Newspaper also reveals that the Serpentine and Barbican have been left in limbo while the Southbank Centre is already £20m in debt

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'Be commercially minded or lose future funding': UK government's threat puts museums in peril

In a letter leaked to The Art Newspaper, the culture minister Oliver Dowden tells directors they must raise their own funds during the pandemic—but how?

UK may become 'cultural wasteland' after government's failure to provide funding quickly, says parliament report

MPs say £1.5bn government support package for the arts sector is “too little too late”

Racism on walls of UK government? British Empire murals spark controversy

Politician raises concerns over Sigismund Goetze painting in the Foreign Office depicting Africa as a naked boy

UK government appoints commissioner to get culture sector 'back up and running'

Neil Mendoza is heading up a taskforce to help revive the arts after the coronavirus pandemic

UK galleries and auction houses can reopen from 1 June, government says

Art trade associations have been lobbying to be recognised as “non-essential retail” in phase two of the lockdown exit roadmap; museums will have to wait until phase three in July

UK government 'failing' to support its freelancers, leading arts body says

Finance minister Rishi Sunak has attracted criticism for his emergency bailout plan over claims that it discriminates against gig workers