UK Trade Secretary admits private schools have a “noticeable” grip on the arts
In an exclusive interview with Far Out, UK Secretary of State for Business and Trade, Peter Kyle, has discussed the class divide within the arts.
Kyle was speaking to Far Out regarding the UK government’s Music Export Growth Scheme, which allows artists, from all backgrounds, to access a portion of £1.6 million in funding to help with their overseas touring endeavours.
Notable past recipients of the funding include rapper Dave, Young Fathers, Wolf Alice and Ezra Collective, who have gone on to achieve huge things both in the UK and abroad within the global music industry.
Kyle hopes the initiative helps make the music industry become a more level-playing field, but also noted that the high proportion of privately educated individuals in the sector applies across the wider performing arts, highlighting acting as an example.
He said, “It’s also the same in other performing arts. So, in acting, for example, we’ve gone through a spate where we’ve had a lot of very successful actors emerging, and quite a significant number of them have gone to Eton, and it’s become quite noticeable.”
The Labour politician continued, “You know, I’m never going to be anti-talent, talent emerges everywhere, I just want everybody from every background to have the same opportunities, to explore their potential and to succeed. Whether that be in business, whether that be in science, or whether that be in performing arts, but it is something I notice.”
Kyle then highlighted that he’s part of the first cabinet in government history that is made up of people entirely from state schools, before noting, “I’m very aware that people like me, in my background, very often don’t make it into the jobs that I have, so I have an affinity for other people who have to struggle to get to where they get to.”
He then reiterated his desire for schemes like this to make dreams, whether in the music industry or not, become possible to all, adding, “I really wish we lived in a world where people from all backgrounds didn’t have to struggle to explore their potential, and that’s certainly what schemes like this can take steps towards tackling.”
Applications are now open for the latest round of Music Export Growth Scheme funding with submissions set to close on December 15th.
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