Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy says government intends to review the Music Export Growth Scheme which was established in 2014
Photo: Wiganer1995/Creative Commons
Move follows footage emerging of Belfast rappers Kneecap, who were previously awarded funding through the scheme, making an apparent call to kill MPs.
A government-backed scheme supporting emerging musicians in overseas markets will be reviewed following outcry over comments attributed to a group that received funding through the initiative, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has said.
Belfast rappers Kneecap were awarded £15,000 through the Music Export Growth Scheme last year, but it was subsequently withdrawn at the orders of then-Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch, on the basis that the group was “opposed to the United Kingdom”.
The group went on to win a discrimination case against the UK government in November, after a judge ruled that Badenoch’s actions were “unlawful and procedurally unfair”. The new Labour government decided against contesting the judgment, claiming it is “not in the public interest”.
Since then, footage of the group at a concert in November 2023 has emerged, where one of the band members appears to say: “The only good Tory is a dead Tory. Kill your local MP.”
Speaking after the footage emerged, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said the government intends to review the Music Export Growth Scheme.
Since launching in 2014, the scheme, run by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) on behalf of the Department for Business and Trade, has invested more than £7 million in British music across 22 rounds, leading to an estimated £55.5 million financial return to the UK economy.
“This is something we inherited from the last government,” Nandy told The Telegraph.
“It’s a scheme that we inherited, but it’s also a situation [regarding Kneecap] we inherited because the now leader of the opposition, Kemi Badenoch, was trying to prevent the grant being given to them.
“She didn’t take proper legal advice, ended up in a costly legal battle, which the government lost. And obviously, we have a duty to bring that to an end by protecting taxpayers’ money.
“But we are so deeply concerned about all of the things that have made up this case that we’re now reviewing the whole scheme.”
A statement posted on X by Kneecap yesterday (28 April) said they rejected “any suggestion that we would seek to incite violence against any MP or individual. Ever.”
They added that “an extract of footage, deliberately taken out of all context, is now being exploited and weaponised, as if it were a call to action”.
Addressing the families of murdered MPs Sir David Amess and Jo Cox, the trio said, “We send our heartfelt apologies, we never intended to cause you hurt.”
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News | Mary Stone
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Nandy orders review of Music Export Growth Scheme – Arts Professional
