Committee says cultural sector thrives on collaboration with people from around the world

The UK’s thriving cultural industries may suffer by struggling to attract skilled talent from abroad if freedom of movement is restricted after Brexit, a House of Lords committee has warned.



The Lords’ EU home affairs sub-committee’s report on Brexit and movement of people in the cultural sector calls for more detail and clarity from the government.

Unless reciprocal arrangements between the EU and the UK are introduced, the UK may see a decline in skilled cultural sector workers coming to the UK, the report says, adding: “Such a development would be to the detriment of the sector, and represent a significant loss to the audiences that enjoy seeing talent from across Europe performing in the UK.”

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The committee urged the government to take a flexible approach over freedom of movement and backed calls for an EU-wide short-term “touring visa”.

The report says the cultural sector is “profoundly important” to the UK’s society and economy as well as international image and influence and has always thrived on collaboration with people from around the world.



“Bringing EU cultural workers under the same restrictions as currently apply to third country nationals could harm the sector, because existing visa rules require a minimum salary in excess of what many cultural organisations can offer. As a result, the UK may struggle to attract talent,” it says.

The ability to move around in Europe at short notice is integral to the business model of many cultural sector organisations, peers say.

Lord Michael Jay, the chair of the committee, said: “Individuals working in the UK cultural sector are highly mobile and have thrived on collaboration with people from all over the world. The country benefits enormously from the sector’s contribution to its economy and society and it makes an important contribution to the UK’s international image and influence.

“If the government is to achieve its wish to establish an immigration system that meets the needs of the post-Brexit economy, the UK’s negotiators will need to be flexible. This means recognising that any restrictions on EU citizens wishing to enter the UK to work may be matched by reciprocal restrictions on UK workers in the EU.”