Starmer pledges arts access plan but plays down prospect of immediate funding

Sir Keir Starmer accused the Tories of thinking “working people don’t need culture” as he pledged a raft of measures aimed at boosting access to the arts, including a crackdown on ticket touting.

However, the Labour leader warned the party would be unable to “turn on the taps straight away” if it wins power as he faced questions about whether the plans would be backed by new funding.

In a speech at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in central London, Sir Keir said the “war on culture” would end with a Labour government.

“We will build a new Britain out of the ashes of the failed Tory project,” he told an audience of stakeholders and media.

A ban on ticket touting to stop fans being ripped off by scammers and a “national network” to help parents and teachers find music education resources for youngsters were among the measures promised on Thursday.

To loud applause, Sir Keir renewed his party’s commitment to work to encourage all children to study a creative subject or sport until they are 16 as part of plans to widen the national curriculum.

Press attending the event were not given the opportunity to ask questions, but stakeholders from the audience asked the Labour leader whether he could promise to prioritise spending for the pledges.

“You will understand that if we are privileged enough to come into government, then we are sadly going to inherit a very broke economy,” Sir Keir said.

“Broken public services, broken relationship with our culture. Therefore I can’t sit here and pretend to you that we can simply turn on the taps straight away.”

But he added that some changes, including the party’s plan to reform the education system to put arts and sport on an equal footing with academic subjects, could be implemented quickly.

“That will make a material difference,” Sir Keir, who was a Guildhall scholar in his youth, told the audience.

Creatives backing the plan include artist Damien Hirst, novelist and historian Kate Mosse, singer Beverley Knight and Happy Valley star James Norton.

In an attack on the Conservatives’ record in government, Sir Keir said: “Look how the Tory Culture Secretary in 2014 – if you can cast your mind back a dozen culture secretaries or so – said that only the ‘chattering middle classes and champagne socialists’ care about ticket prices.

“They think working people don’t need culture. There is a patronising view that working people don’t care, and shouldn’t care, about the arts.”

He added: “Right now one measure of excellence is the Tory EBacc – an accountability measure that values Latin and Ancient Greek but not music, drama or art.

“Seriously – in what world does learning to act, dance, sing, or paint count for less than learning a language from more than 1,000 years ago?

“The ancient Romans and Greeks would have had something to say about that.”

Sir Keir used his speech to pledge that Labour would cap resale prices for live events and give the Competition and Markets Authority the powers it needs to regulate resale platforms.

The announcement was welcomed by artists including Will Young, who said the move would ensure people pay the “correct and fair price” and put “fans back at the heart of music”.

The Tories claimed the arts would “suffer” under a Labour government.

Responding, Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer said: “Once again, Labour offers nothing more than warm words on the cultural and creative industries. The Conservative Party is sticking to our plan for growth.

“For more than a decade we have helped unleash job creation, investment and growth with tax relief on everything from film and television, to animation, video games, orchestras, theatres and more. Labour voted against each and every one.

“Labour’s record speaks for itself. Where Labour is in power they trash the finances and the arts suffer.

“In Wales, the Labour government are making significant cuts to the arts as a result of their financial mismanagement.

“There is no doubt that a UK Labour government would do the same, taking us back to square one and putting our world-leading creative industries at risk.”