English PEN’s Director Daniel Gorman has joined the Creative Industries Federation and more than 400 leading creative figures in urging the UK government to provide urgent financial support for the creative industries.

The Rt Hon Oliver Dowden CBE
Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
100 Parliament Street
London SW1 2BQ

The Rt Hon Rishi Sunak MP
Chancellor of the Exchequer
HM Treasury
1 Horse Guards Road
London
SW1A 2HQ

27 April, 2020

Dear Chancellor and Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport,

We, the undersigned creative professionals and institutions, call on the government to protect the UK’s creative industries.

Our creative and cultural sector is in crisis. A Creative Industries Federation survey of 2,000 creative organisations and freelancers revealed that 1 in 7 creative organisations believe they can last only until the end of April on existing financial reserves. Only half think their reserves will last beyond June.

We cannot allow the UK to lose half of its creative businesses and become a cultural wasteland. The creative industries are one of the UK’s biggest success stories, previously growing at five times the rate of the wider economy. The creative sector will also be critical to driving the UK’s economic recovery – and transforming lives for the better – as we re-build.

We must act, and act fast.  We call on the government to implement urgent funding for creative and cultural organisations impacted by the fall-out of Covid-19.

Yours sincerely,

Caroline Norbury MBE, CEO, Creative Industries Federation and Creative England

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Full list of signatories available here.