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In last week’s episode of The Graham Norton Show, British pop star and four-time Grammy winner Ed Sheeran appeared as the talk show’s musical guest, accompanying actors Glen Powell, Michelle Yeoh, Rosamund Pike, and comedian Jack Whitehall. Along with a musical performance from his latest album, Sheeran revealed his surprising new role as an amateur government lobbyist, having written a personal letter to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. Sheeran wrote asking for better funding for underprivileged schools, as well as a review of the music syllabus to be more in tune with today’s musical tastes, amongst other reforms that would make music and the arts more desirable to young people. He said that “as a country…the thing that we’re most proud of is our art,” and feared the prospect of defunding an industry that brings in £7.6 billion to the UK economy, whilst “wondering where the next generation of art is going to come from.”
Despite some self-confessed doubts about the letter’s effectiveness, the Prime Minister has taken on some of the recommendations made by one of the UK’s most successful songwriters. In a statement following the first review of the national curriculum, Starmer wrote back saying that “your voice has been heard” and that “we will make sure every child has access to those experiences.” Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has sought to “revitalise” the UK’s curriculum in an overarching review of the country’s teaching practices for the first time since 2010. The Prime Minister’s words have provided some comfort to fears that music and the arts will be overlooked in the government’s efforts to overhaul the UK’s education system. The Royal Shakespeare Company has said the changes will make a “material difference to young people’s lives,” as attention towards the arts is no longer put to one side in the Department for Education’s mandate.
Perhaps the most significant action taken so far is the removal of the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) from the UK’s education system as a result of one of Sheeran’s recommendations. The EBacc prioritised the retention of English, maths, and the sciences over the arts and has been largely seen as the reason for the 40% decline in students taking GCSEs in music, drama, and design. The removal of the EBacc has been supported among those in the art world, with Turner Prize winner Antony Gormley stating it’s “to be celebrated,” whilst UK Music called it “a great victory.”
However, there are concerns that the government won’t go far enough to make as significant an impact as the proposals have called for. Composer Andrew Lloyd Webber told The Guardian that “there is still no flesh in the government’s latest announcement,” with words being one thing, and action another. Another group has expressed concerns about funding, with head teachers believing the proposals would require sufficient “funding and teachers.” This could pose the largest challenge of all to Sheeran’s proposals, as Rachel Reeves seeks to find £30 billion in the budget this November. With this in mind, additional funding for school arts programmes may not be deemed critical enough to the national interest to increase spending.
So, with celebrity endorsement and recognition that youth development in the arts could be encouraged further, is this an easy win for Starmer’s government? There’s still a long way to go before we can count this as a success story, as these policy implementations often take time before they bear fruit. However, it remains encouraging that celebrities and those with significant followings outside of government are using their platforms to protect their industry and the next generation of musicians and artists.
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