“Media, culture, the creative industries are now at the forefront of the government.”
During a presentation at The Future of Media Manchester on Thursday, Advertising Association (AA) head of policy and government affairs Chris Walker described how the new Labour government has warmly embraced the creative industries as part of its plan for economic growth.
“They really want to learn from business. And other businesses want to learn from this sector,” he said.
Walker, who attended the Labour Party Annual Conference in Liverpool earlier in the week, reported back that the mood was not as jovial as in past years when Labour was in opposition.
“They’re pretty scared,” Walker said. “The mood music between this conference and last year’s conference could not be more different.”
The reason is that Labour, now in control for the first time in 14 years, is under pressure to deliver on changes it has promised, including stimulating the economy amid a cost-of-living crisis.
Walker said that “partnership” was the key word of the conference as it relates to business sectors, with Labour keen to work with particularly the creative industries, which it sees as having become increasingly important to economic growth in the UK.
Indeed, the Department for Culture, Media & Sport was viewed by party delegates as a “central driver of growth” for how Labour is seeking to deliver change, especially for its importance in UK export growth.
That is true of not just media and advertising’s business impact, but its potential to inform other subjects at the top of the government’s priority list.
“The challenge for us is to make sure that we’re not only seen as an economic driving force, but also around health and sustainability,” said Walker, noting that advertising has a key role to play in discussions around public health and promoting sustainable consumer and business practice.
The creative industries were seen as an exemplar of growth for other industries as well. Walker added that business leaders in other industries are keen to learn more about how the creative industries have driven especially regional growth. The establishment of Channel 4’s news hub in Leeds in 2021 was highlighted as an example of non-London investment that businesses in other industries want to learn how to better unlock.
According to Walker, a central question that emerged from the Labour conference was: “How have the media industry [and] the creative industry managed to get the regional investment and growth?”
Labour’s warm words about our industry need to be matched by practical measures
