There is no doubt that there is much to be done by the new Government to create fairer conditions for all – to achieve this, the Society of Authors (SoA) urges the Government to make seven pledges to protect authors, their careers, their income and their working conditions.
We call on the new Labour Government to:
- Legislate to regulate AI developers, to ensure the transparency of AI systems – including generative AI systems – and that creators are credited, paid, and asked to consent before their copyright-protected works are used and reproduced. The technical landscape is moving rapidly and the time for action is now.
- Legislate to protect authors and other creators against unfair contract terms and ensure a fair share of reward for all involved throughout the value chain.
- Support freelance creators by extending statutory sick leave and parental leave to freelancers, and by appointing a Freelancer Commissioner.
- Review the tax and benefits infrastructure to better support creative professionals: only with suitable financial support structures in place can we ensure that creative careers in the UK are sustainable for authors and creators from all backgrounds, and not limited only to those who can afford it.
- Ensure that public funding for arts, literature and culture is sufficient to meet the minimum standards of pay and engagement of creators, to ensure the survival and growth of public and school libraries, and to the increase of the Public Lending Right.
- Scrap the reading tax on audiobooks that currently attract Value Added Tax (VAT) at 20%.
- Legislate to protect authors, journalists and others against the misuse of the legal system with Strategic Litigation Against Public Participation (SLAPPs).
All of these areas fit well with the Labour Party’s election manifesto. For example, in their manifesto, Labour committed to implement their creative industries sector vision and ‘creating good jobs and accelerating growth in film, music, gaming, and other creative sectors’. This included a pledge that with Labour, ‘the arts and music will no longer be the preserve of a privileged few’, and several commitments to ensuring equality, diversity and inclusion. These commitments align with the reform agenda that the SoA is proposing, and we will continue to urge Government to implement tangible measures that benefit all authors.
The manifesto also included a commitment to ‘remain a member of the European Convention on Human Rights’ and we urge the new Government to further this commitment by introducing a bill to regulate against Strategic Litigation Against Public Participation (SLAPPs).
Last but not least, in their manifesto, Labour stated that they ‘will ensure the safe development and use of AI models by introducing binding regulation on the handful of companies developing the most powerful AI models’. We look forward to working with Government to ensure a legislative landscape that protects all authors and creators, and ensures that generative Artificial Intelligence works for authors, not authors for generative Artificial Intelligence.
Time for change
This election is a pivotal moment in our political landscape and presents an opportunity for the new Government to reset after having inherited years of austerity programmes and the consequences of one crisis after another: a recession, a pandemic and a cost-of-living crisis. Against the context of overall arts funding cuts to all UK national bodies of 16% in real terms since 2017 (Equity), the SoA is calling on this Government to prove to all creators that their work is valuable – and valued – by those in power. It is crucial that, as the new Ministers take office, they ensure these commitments are reflected across all department plans and policies to implement measures that will protect and support all authors and creators – whether this is within the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (in whatever form that department may take under the new Government) or the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. We look forward to hearing who will be taking up the position of Secretary of State for both of these Government departments.
In his speech this morning, Keir Starmer acknowledged that change would not be easy – but that is no excuse for inaction and the SoA will continue to push for firm and positive commitments to improving the material conditions of authors and creators.
We are keen to resume the important work of securing Government support of a fairer deal for authors, and we look forward to working with the new ministers and their teams.
Before the pre-election pause, we were involved in discussions with Government on the existential threats to authors’ work and livelihoods – including the unregulated development of generative AI systems and the legal misuse of litigation by wealthy individuals and corporations against journalists, writers and other critics. These issues cannot be properly addressed without legislation.
At a time when author incomes are lower than ever, it is vital that the Government offers greater support to freelancers, and reviews how it can increase funding for the arts and literature to nurture a better economic landscape for all creative professionals.
We urge the new Government to waste no time in getting these issues back on the agenda. It’s time to get back to business.
SoA Chief Executive, Anna Ganley
As the new Government takes office, we will continue to raise the issues that affect our members and the wider cultural landscape. The first 100 days in office will be an important measure of this Government’s priorities and we look forward to assessing how they have responded in the autumn.
Get involved
- Solidarity and strength in numbers has never been more important, become an SoA Member and help us push for a better deal for authors. Join here.
- The strategy of the Society of Authors is set by the Management Committee (our board of directors). To help direct your union, consider standing in the 2024 Management Committee election. Find out how.
- Learn more about our seven asks by reading our blog: ‘What will the next Government do for authors?’. Share with your networks.
- Learn more about our advocacy and campaigning work on our Where We Stand pages.