It was reported in the build-up to the election that Labour was looking to diversify the National Curriculum and put additional funding towards creative subjects. Labour leader and current Prime Minister, Keir Starmer was quoted in the Guardian saying the following:

1. It directly benefits the economy.
   Creative industries contribute £125 billion into the economy directly. We have a world-renowned reputation for creative services so why wouldn’t you encourage skills in this area?
2. All sectors need creativity.
   As mentioned in the Prime Minister’s quote, just because people have creative and artistic skills, doesn’t mean that they are not useful in other sectors. Creative subjects allow and encourage people to think differently, critically, and look for meaning within. This embeds a way of thinking that develops innovation and builds confidence in lateral thinking.
3. All sectors creative digital skills.
   This is similar to the above but is focussing on digital and creative careers in other sectors. For example, you can now get a mortgage online – as a mortgage advisor to achieve this you need a web designer, UX designer, graphic designer, videographer and photographer to make your website look professional and be functional. If you do not have a digital presence, you WILL be left behind.
4. We have more entertainment content than ever before.
   As a population, we are probably more willing to pay for entertainment than we are the dentist. All the streaming platforms, online content, TV, adverts, commercial video and theatre needs producing, and we need creatives for this. British filmmaking has one of the best reputations in the world. Additionally, the Government provides attractive tax breaks for production companies to make their films in the UK.
5. Art and Creativity is something we can be proud of.
   This is much more a personal comment than a factual reason. But creativity and art are part of human culture. There is a lot of politics around how Britain has lost its culture, and I don’t care where you stand on that. British art and creativity is part of our culture. In history, when you study a culture one of the main artefacts you would study is a culture’s stories, their artwork and the things they enjoyed doing (theatre, plays etc). If we don’t encourage creative thinking in schools and then don’t hone those skills to produce the work, then we are potentially losing our culture.