Government Rejects Carnet Help and Touring Advice Hub in Post-Brexit Response

The UK government has acknowledged that creative professionals still face serious obstacles when touring Europe, but its formal response to Parliament’s culture select committee offers little in the way of practical relief.

Replying to the committee’s June report on cultural touring in the EU, ministers said they share MPs’ desire for “tangible progress” and have raised touring issues in engagement with EU member states. The response rules out help with ATA carnet costs, which the committee heard can add £10,000 to an orchestral tour budget, and declines to create the dedicated cultural touring advice hub MPs asked for. There are “no current plans” to subsidise carnets or provide a guarantee or insurance policy.

The committee had pushed for movement on visas, customs, haulage restrictions and tax complexities around merchandise sales, urging ministers to use the next UK-EU summit and the review of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement. On the advice hub, the government says it will improve existing guidance but argues it cannot interpret rules set country by country.

Committee chair Caroline Dinenage said she was alarmed by the lack of progress. Government-commissioned research found EU touring by UK-based music artists in 2024 was still 21% below 2019 levels, with smaller live music venues down 22%. The same study estimated a £208 million hit to gross value added and 2,490 full-time equivalent jobs lost between 2022 and 2024.