Today the Foreign Secretary gave a ministerial statement in the House of Commons on the ongoing persecution of the Uyghur people in Xinjiang. The reports of extrajudicial mass detention, sterilisation, “re-education” and forced labour of the Uyghur people in China are harrowing. In responding to the Foreign Secretary, I called on the UK Government to […]
John Nicolson MP writes to UK Government Culture Secretary on visa-free access for artists
Yesterday, I wrote to the UK Government’s Culture Secretary asking him to confirm or deny reports that the UK Government had rejected European Union proposals for UK and EU performers to have reciprocal visa-free access for 90 days. This is a standard EU agreement which would have allowed artists, musicians, and support staff to continue […]
John Nicolson MP discusses drug use at music festivals on DCMS Committee
This morning at the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee, we talked with music festival organisers about the impact of Brexit and coronavirus on the live music industry. Music festivals make enormous economic and cultural contributions to Scotland and the wider UK. The immediate and long-term challenges they are now facing as a result of […]
OSP Report – August 2020
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OSP Report – July 2020
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John Nicolson MP: Saudi takeover of Newcastle United would be ‘humiliating’.
On the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee last week, I questioned the Chief Executive of the English Premier League, Richard Masters, on the proposed Saudi-backed buy-out of Newcastle United. The takeover, which Mr Masters said he wants ‘to conclude shortly’, would represent success for Saudi Arabia’s tactic of sportswashing its cash and reputation. Its […]