IPA welcomes Labour Government to continue success of creative industries

Says Paul Bainsfair, Director General, IPA: We are pleased to welcome a new Labour government and look forward to working with them to progress our mutual success. We very much hope that they will implement their comprehensive Creating Growth Plan for the Arts, Culture and Creative Industries, as delivered at their Labour Creatives Conference in March.

Earlier this year, the IPA set out the policy areas that we would ask a new Government to focus on, and are pleased to note that a number of these align with Labour’s Plan, with the following of particular note:

• At the top of our list was “the need for an incoming government to champion our industry and help it to continue to thrive in order to help the UK.” And so we were delighted that, in Thangam Debbonaire’s (Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport at the time of the Plan’s publication) foreword she asserts that Arts and culture have intrinsic value, stating that: “They and the creative industries as a whole, also have enormous economic value to the UK, and huge growth potential. Their story is already one of growth against the odds, with their value (GVA) increasing by 5% in real terms between 2019 and 2022, compared with 2% growth in the overall economy.”
• With regard to talent, we have asked for better investment in education in the creative subjects, something the Labour Plan addresses directly: “In Government, Labour will urgently commission a full, expert-led review of curriculum and assessment that will seek to deliver a curriculum which is rich and broad, inclusive and innovative, and which develops children’s knowledge and skills. In doing so, we will consult widely across the creative sector to make sure we are drawing on all the relevant expertise.”
• Regarding international talent, we have said that we would like to see an incoming Government explore approaches that might level the playing field to ensure that the UK can attract and retain the best international talent and remain a dominant, international advertising force. This is something that Labour’s Plan rightly acknowledges: “Britain is a cultural crucible, and a world leader in the arts and creative industries. Labour is proud of that international position. We recognise that in order to maintain it, it needs to be easy to attract and retain the best talent for UK creative industries.”
• Leading on from this, Labour also stated that it intends to create a flexible Growth and Skills Levy to replace the existing Apprenticeship Levy. As we have stated previously, while we support apprenticeships, we have requested greater flexibility on how agencies can use the Levy and look forward to learning how Labour’s new reform may better suit our industry’s needs.
• Labour’s Plan states that it supports the safe development of the AI sector in the UK. As we said in May, the IPA believes a flexible, cautious approach to regulation is sensible, considering the fast pace of AI development and the need to allow for innovation and creativity. At the same time, we would also ask that Labour maintains international cooperation where possible to try to ensure consistency of approach.

And the IPA will continue to make the case for the highly successful and internationally renowned self and co-regulatory system, overseen by the ASA. If the UK’s advertising industry is to continue to thrive, it needs to be allowed to innovate without unnecessary legislative intervention.