Culture is crucial to national identity - Ian Murray
In Edinburgh, we know the importance of culture. Whether it’s the festivals or venues like the Filmhouse, right down to the grassroots creative scene, we’ve got it all.
We’re fortunate to live in such a culturally abundant place - it’s part of who we are as a city. Just last week, the Creative Edinburgh Awards showcased the best of Edinburgh’s creative talent, highlighting the depth and breadth of our city’s cultural offering.
Now imagine if all of that faced the threat not just of being undermined but of being completely destroyed. That is what is happening in Ukraine, where the culture and heritage of the Ukrainian people faces an existential threat.
Since the beginning of Putin’s illegal invasion, Russia has been deliberately targeting Ukrainian cultural artefacts, inflicting damage on over 1600 heritage sites and entirely destroying 27. Russia is trying to eradicate Ukraine’s culture, and with it, its identity and history.
Ukraine’s culture is important not just to its people but to the world. That’s why the Labour government is supporting international efforts to protect it. At the start of this month, I attended a summit of culture ministers from across Europe in Copenhagen. One of the key points of discussion was how we can work together to defend Ukraine’s culture in the face of sustained Russian attempts to erase it.
In support of these efforts, the Labour government has announced additional emergency funding to protect Ukraine’s cultural heritage, from ancient manuscripts to historic buildings. It builds on previous funding and will bolster the International Cultural Heritage Protection programme, which supports the investigation and prosecution of war crimes, the prevention of the illegal trafficking and looting of Ukrainian artefacts and the preservation of cultural artefacts and museum collections.
These actions are a key part of the UK-Ukraine 100-year partnership, signed by the Prime Minister at the start of this year, which commits us to closer collaboration with Ukraine on a wide range of issues. We will always stand by Ukraine and we will do everything we can to protect the history and the cultural artefacts of the Ukrainian people. That’s why we have also pledged £3 billion a year in military aid for Ukraine until at least 2030/31.
More broadly, culture can also help us to build alliances and enhance our global influence. At the start of this year, the Labour government launched the Soft Power Council, bringing together figures from across the UK’s cultural, educational and foreign policy institutions to advise government.
Soft power is all about influencing by attraction rather than coercion. Think of some of the UK’s globally renowned institutions: our universities, creative industries and sport.
These sectors massively contribute to our reputation abroad. They deepen our relationships, build alliances and enhance our global influence. But, until now, there has been no mechanism to coordinate their impact.
The Soft Power Council seeks to change that. I chaired a session in September in Belfast, in which we discussed Northern Ireland’s thriving film and TV industry and how that contributes to the UK’s reach across the world.
Labour is determined to support our creative industries, and the Creative Industries Sector Plan unveiled in June will help them to thrive right across the country.
And while I have you, the soft power of he Tartan Army at the World Cup is something I'm looking forward to immensely.