John,



Following on from a eerily quiet summer in Westminster, I’m delighted to be back with another update for you. 



Despite Parliament only being back in session for 11 days before breaking again for party conference season <[link removed]>, I’m sure it comes as no surprise to you that we have, as always, been kept on our toes by this Government’s inaction!



1. Within days of Parliament returning, PM Rishi Sunak announced that the UK would be rejoining the EU’s Horizon scheme <[link removed]> for scientific research. This was a big win for the scientific community, Best for Britain and our supporters, having worked tirelessly on securing the Windsor Framework which re-opened the dialogue between the UK and the EU on the Horizon deal, followed by our subsequent campaigning to re-join the scheme. 



Like I say, this was a victory for the both of us, and a credit to the unwavering commitment of B4B’s supporters, who in their 1000s wrote directly to Sunak demanding he restored Britain’s position as a global leader in science so thank you. Though it doesn’t make up for lost time and funding over the past two years, it's a very positive step in the right direction.



2. We published new research <[link removed]> suggesting that the number of EU musicians playing festivals across Britain has almost halved since Brexit took effect. On average, the number of European musicians scheduled to take to the stage at major festivals across the UK this summer fell by 40% compared to 2017-19. The figures for Britain’s most iconic festival Glastonbury, painted an even darker figure with the number of European musicians at the festival down 50% this year compared to 42% in 2022.



There is no question that the Government’s failure to listen to those operating at the heart of the industry,  and adopt their recommendations, including those of the UK Trade and Business Commission <[link removed]> on visa waivers and more flexible cabotage, is only starving Britain’s creative industry of the diverse range of talent Europe has to offer, and so the campaigning continues.



3. We coordinated over 60 business leaders, trade experts, and parliamentarians <[link removed]> who published an open letter in the Guardian in response to recent reports in the media around the UK diverging from the standards and protections of the EU. As our own polling has shown, alignment in UK-EU relations is the most popular option in all but six constituencies in England, Wales and Scotland.



I’m keen to hear your thoughts - Do you support beneficial UK-EU alignment? <[link removed]>



And finally, you might have noticed we’ve had a bit of a makeover, which has included the launch of a new benefit for those who sign up to be a regular supporter. 



We have partnered with Creating Tomorrow’s Forest <[link removed]>, an organisation working to rewild and reforest the UK’s habitats, and so for every supporter who signs up to give £10 or more a month <[link removed]>, we will plant a tree (native UK species) at one of our two projects located in Devon and Dorset. 



From Brexit to climate change we are living through the effects of selfish short-term politics. So while you’re helping us to change that in Westminster, you’ll also be leaving a long-term legacy in Britain’s beautiful countryside. So if you can afford to, might you consider signing up <[link removed]>?



Once again, thank you so much for all your support, and stay tuned, we have a critical few months ahead of us. 



Best wishes, 

Naomi











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