House of Lords keep up pressure on government over music touring

On Thursday, for the third time in nine days, the DCMS Minister in the House of Lords, Baroness Barran, was required to submit to an entirely hostile round of questions.

The session was begun by Lord German, formerly deputy first minister and Leader of the Liberal Democrats of Wales and a professional music teacher, who asked, 'I set aside for the moment the ping-pong on who is to blame for what has happened, and remember the anxiety and anguish faced by many of the top musicians in the UK. The Minister told the House last week that, "our door absolutely remains open" to dialogue with the EU on this matter. Open doors mean that people can go through them without hindrance. Has an open-door invitation been made to the European Union, and if not why not?

The reply was that, 'It takes two people to meet through an open door'; in other words the government is not intending to make the first move, sticking to the line that its proposal was rejected and it is not going to reopen the discussion. Joan Bakewell pressed the point and received the brisk answer that the government wants the, 'critical and creative sector - and within that, musicians - [to] continue to thrive, which is why we are working closely with the sector to achieve that'. Quite how was left to the imagination.

Lord Foster of Bath was unimpressed with the new practicalities facing those touring with a van load of instruments. 'Prior to Brexit, when UK orchestras toured Europe, they often visited several venues in multiple countries. Their own or rented specialist vehicles would move instruments and equipment from venue to venue. Can the Minister confirm that under the new post-Brexit cabotage rules this will no longer be possible unless UK orchestras stop using UK vehicles and rely on EU ones? Is this another example of taking back control?' The reply was that DCMS is talking to the Department of Transport.

Baroness Rawlings is not only a former Arts Minister in the Lords herself, she was for many years a senior member of the European Parliament's Culture Committee and is vice-president of the European Union Youth Orchestra. She wanted some assurance. 'The outcome of Brexit was that the EUYO had to move [its base from London] to Bolzano and Grafenegg. As it tours constantly, can HMG make certain that the British players, who already have difficulties, can have multiple visas without too much trouble and expense?' The best that DCMS can offer is that they will work with musicians to 'navigate the requirements' – hardly an offer to remove the problem.

It was Lord Strasburger who encapsulated the position with greatest force. 'A year ago the government told the Commons that free movement for musicians post 2020 was “essential”, but then left them out of the trade agreement. Will the Government now come clean with the touring musicians and crews they have betrayed and say to them, “We’re sorry. We screwed up the trade negotiation and came back with absolutely nothing for you, having promised you everything. We’ll go back to Brussels immediately and sort it out” ?'

In the meantime the situation for musicians going to individual EU countries is becoming clearer. France has said that British performing artists and their support staff do not need visas or work permits as long as their paid activity is not for more than 90 days. This exemption applies to anybody involved in sporting, cultural or scientific events, which is encouraging for those of us writing about music as well as those performing it.

Over the coming weeks I shall be exploring the conditions being applied by each EU country in turn. If all take the same view as France, then many (but not all) concerns will begin to ease. This is unlikely, though, and much will depend on the willingness of DCMS and Home Office Ministers to make similar arrangements for EU arts professionals coming here. At the moment they seem stubbornly disinterested in doing so.