At the Conservative Party conference, Kemi Badenoch pledged to reduce the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport budget by £1 billion as part of wider spending cuts the party would implement if it wins the next general election, Arts Professional reported. Badenoch announced the cut in her keynote speech while outlining the Conservatives’ broader cost-saving plans for government departments. The proposal directly targets DCMS funding, which oversees cultural and creative sectors across the UK. BBC broadcaster Kirsty Lang warned that the pledge showed a failure to understand the importance of British soft power and the role of the creative industries in growing the economy. The announcement signals a potential funding squeeze for cultural bodies and creative-sector programmes should the Conservatives form the next government, and it is likely to prompt responses from arts organisations and sector representatives in the coming weeks.
