LIVE response to Kings Speech

17 July 2024 - Press release

John Collins, CEO of LIVE in response to today’s Kings Speech: 

“LIVE welcomes today’s King’s Speech outlining the new government’s priorities. We look forward to working collaboratively with Labour in Government to unleash the potential of our sector.  

“The government's plans to reset relations with the EU can enable UK artists to tour more easily, and we urge quick action on this. We welcome the creation of Skills England and plans to reform the apprenticeship levy which align with our Live Music Manifesto proposals. The English Devolution Bill will be a positive step in awarding metro mayors with greater powers to drive local economic growth. 

“We recognise government endeavours to improve the safety and security of public venues and keep the British public safe through the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill. We fully support the objectives of this Bill, but the previous draft would have failed to deliver these objectives while placing disproportionate burdens on venues and festivals, so an urgent review of the government's approach is needed. We remain committed to working with government to ensure any new requirements are workable and, crucially, build on existing steps taken by industry to deliver greater reassurance and safety for concertgoers."