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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, 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 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 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 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 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?
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, 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, 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?
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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