This House of Lords Library Briefing has been prepared in advance of the debate due to take place on 11 October 2018 in the House of Lords on the motion moved by Lord Bragg (Labour), “that this House takes note of the impact on the arts of the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union”. It focuses on three areas connected with the UK’s withdrawal from the EU: funding for the arts and cultural sector in the UK; free movement of people and the immigration regime; and copyright law.
Leaving the European Union: The Arts (400 KB , PDF)
The cultural sector, which includes the arts, accounted for 2 percent of total UK jobs in 2017, 34 percent of which were in the arts sub-sector. Service exports from the cultural sector increased between 2015 and 2016, though this was largely driven by the film, television and music sub-sector. The value of cultural sector goods exports fell between 2015 and 2016, a decrease largely attributable to the arts and crafts sectors.
European Union funding for the arts comes from two streams: European Structural and Investment Funds and transnational funds Between 2007 and 2016, arts, museums and the creative industries in England received approximately £234 million from the European Structural and Investment Funds and £111.8 million from transnational funds.
The draft withdrawal agreement stated the UK will continue to take part in all EU programmes post-29 March 2019 until 2020. The Government has stated that in the event of ‘no deal’, it will guarantee EU projects agreed before the UK leaves the EU in order to “provide more certainty for UK organisations”.
At present, EU free movement rules and social security coordination enable EU citizens working in the arts sector to work in other EU countries without obtaining a visa or paying into two social security systems. Witnesses to parliamentary committees have expressed concern about the potential impact of the loss of this freedom on the arts sector.
EU regulations on copyright and related rights will be preserved in UK law as retained EU law under the powers in the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018. However, the UK is also currently party to EU cross-border copyright mechanisms, the reciprocal element of which will cease to apply to the UK after it leaves the EU unless specific arrangements are made.
Leaving the European Union: The Arts (400 KB , PDF)
Music forms part of the national curriculum up to key stage 3. Recent statistics show increases in GCSE music entries in summer 2025 compared to the previous academic year, but there has also been a drop in A-level entries in the same period. Additionally, concerns have been raised about the quality of music provision in schools and the difficulties faced by children from more deprived areas in accessing music education.
In September 2024 the House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee launched an inquiry into the scaleup challenges facing startup enterprises working with artificial intelligence (AI) and creative technology. In a report published in February 2025, the committee warned the UK risked becoming an incubator economy where UK startups developed innovative products and services before selling out or moving abroad. This briefing summarises the report’s recommendations and the government’s response.
In November 2024, the House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee published a report examining the future of the news sector in the UK. While acknowledging the sector’s strengths, it expressed concerns about declining trust and revenue, threats to investigative reporting and the influence of artificial intelligence (AI). It made several recommendations to the government and others, including dedicating resources to address the challenges of AI and developing a media literacy strategy.
