'Patronising Tory view that culture is only for people like them must end'

14 March 2024 , 15:19

524     0

Labour leader Keir Starmer said learning music changed his life (Image: Getty Images)

When I was 11, I hopped on a train to London, ending at the Guildhall School of Music. Every Saturday after, for six years, I made that journey – alone, with only my flute and a sense of excitement.

Learning music opened doors for me. It gave me that thrill of being on stage. It introduced me to people from different backgrounds, and when we played together, it didn’t matter where you came from. Nobody cared where you went to school or what your parents did. All that counted was your commitment to hitting the notes, getting the timing right, supporting the group.

For a working class kid like me, learning music was transformational. It stayed with me – from watching indie bands like Orange Juice at university, to the joy of taking my daughter to live events today; or on quieter weekends listening to classical music while reading the papers. But more than that, it gave me a set of skills beyond the music. Whether it’s music or other creative arts, the emotional and social skills – the eye contact, the communication, the problem solving – they’re priceless.

I want every child to have that path at their feet. Not just because it’s my mission to smash the ‘class ceiling’ but because it’s good for our economy and jobs, too. But too many kids today are being shut out, because of a Tory creativity crisis in our schools.

Labour leader Keir Starmer met Michael Sheen, who plays Nye Bevan in Nye, during a tour of the National Theatre in London (PA)

The Tories have narrowed the school curriculum so much that right now, schools are rewarded for students taking up Latin and Greek but not for taking music drama or art. This isn’t about ‘fluffy’ arts on one side, and hard-nosed economy and jobs on the other. The creative sector is worth over 125 billion to our economy, supporting millions of jobs. We are genuine world leaders.

Teachers, civil servants and train drivers walk out in biggest strike in decade

From make-up artists to management, set designers to sound technicians, the value of creative Britain extends beyond those on the stage and screen, to those behind the curtain, behind the camera. I saw how skilled these jobs are first-hand, visiting the National Theatre. These jobs, these businesses, can deliver real levelling up across Britain. But to do that, we first need better access to the arts – no matter who you are or where you’re from.

So the plan Labour announced will not only ensure we grow our creative industries but we make that growth open to all. It’s a plan that’s good for Britain, good for growth and good for jobs. It’s a stark contrast to Rishi Sunak’s failing Tory Government, with a £46bn black hole of unfunded tax cuts. Sunak and his Tories are stuck in a doom loop that only a Labour Government can fix.

This patronising Tory view that arts and culture should only be for people like them, must end. Only Labour will ensure the arts is for everyone, everywhere. Only Labour will give our kids the skills and the job prospects that result. The creative arts shouldn’t tell working class kids to ‘know their place’. They should help them find their place in the world.

My Dad was a toolmaker, working in a factory every day. He’d only turn on the radio to listen to Beethoven or Shostakovich. Try telling him the arts are only for the privileged few.

Keir Starmer