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Press release: Touring musicians are latest Brexit casualty

Glasgow East MP David Linden has accused the UK Government of having “doomed the Scottish music scene” over a failure to agree freedom of movement for artists and touring musicians as part of its Brexit deal.

The live music industry has reacted furiously to reports that the UK rejected an offer made by EU negotiators that would secured 90 days of visa-free touring for musicians and artists.

The UK’s culture minister Caroline Dinenage sparked further outrage when she revealed in response to an urgent parliamentary question from the SNP today (19 January) that the EU offer was rejected because it "would not have been compatible with the Government’s manifesto commitment to take back control of our borders."

A petition seeking ‘Europe-wide Visa-free work permit for Touring professionals and Artists’ has amassed over 250,000 signatures, and has been backed by musicians including Laura Marling, Biffy Clyro and Dua Lipa.

Many artists have highlighted that, alongside the COVID-19 pandemic, the news of the inability to tour in the EU without a visa poses a severe threat to their livelihoods.

Challenging the Government in the House of Commons today, Glasgow East MP David Linden said that the UK Government is "continuing to ignore artists" in the Brexit deal.

David Linden MP said:

"The Brexit deal has been a disaster for importers and exporters, and now for our creative industries. The Tories have doomed the Scottish music scene.

"Musicians have every right to feel angry. Today’s revelations fly in the face of assurances given by the UK Culture Minister last year that free movement would be protected for artists touring across the EU.

"I have many constituents who are artists and musicians – when they tour across the EU they have previously enjoyed freedom of movement. They will no longer be able to perform and tour so easily.

"It is outrageous that Glasgow musicians have been treated as collateral damage by a government obsessed with immigration ideology. The fact of the matter is that Scotland didn’t vote for any of this yet we’re left to suffer the consequences.