Creatives come together to advocate for Cultural and Creative Industries at Labour Party Conference 2025

Music Mark CEO, Bridget Whyte, will be speaking at the Labour Party Conference this September to advocate for music education alongside over 35 organisations representing the creative and cultural industries. Read on to discover who else is speaking, and more highlights from the programme.

Over 35 organisations from across the creative sector join forces with star talent, including Armando Iannucci, Carol Vorderman, Carole Cadwalladr, Kate Mosse, Nihal Arthanyake, Angela Griffin, Ted Evans, Nick Park and Sean Clarke, Angela Rippon, Jack Pepper and more  

Explore the full programme today.

From Sunday 28 to Tuesday 30 September 2025, representatives from across the cultural and creative industries will come together at the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool to showcase the transformative impact of creativity.

In an extraordinary moment of collaboration, Creative UK – the national membership body for the cultural and creative industries – has convened more than 35 creative organisations, along with a range of celebrated artists and speakers, to showcase the might of the sector – and explore how creativity can offer the answers to some of the country’s social and economic challenges.

Located in Auditorium 1B in the ACC Liverpool, (which sits inside the conference secure zone), the Cultural and Creative Industries Pavilion will be home to three days of policy-led discussions and debates, alongside a range of performances and presentations. The activity comes just months after the publication of the UK Government’s Industrial Strategy, which identified the creative industries as a priority sector for economic growth. On the back of this, the Creative Industries Sector Plan was published in June.

Presenting partners in the Pavilion represent a wide range of creative sub-sectors, and include 5, AIP – Alliance for IP, ArtFund/National Museum Directors’ Council, Association of Photographers, Bath Spa University, Bectu, Big Creative Education, BPI (British Recorded Music), British Fashion Council,Channel 4, Design and Artists Copyright Society, FACT Liverpool, GuildHE, Heart of Glass, Into Film, Kingston University, Manchester Metropolitan University, Music Mark, Music Venue Trust, National Theatre, New Writing North, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Premier League, Production Park, Publishers Association, Royal Ballet and Opera, Royal College of Art, Sadler’s Wells, ScreenSkills, Surrey Institute for People-Centred AI, Southbank Centre, Talawa Theatre Company, The Film and TV Charity, UKIE, University of the Arts London and YouTube.

Fireside Chats and Performances

The programme also contains an exclusive ‘Fireside Chat’ series, in which artists and creative stars speak to their own experiences of creativity.

As The Thick of It turns 20, renowned writer, director, producer and performer Armando Iannucci will reflect on the power of storytelling, satire and imagination to shift political understanding – as well as the economic might of the UK’s creative industries.

Broadcaster, media personality, and writer Carol Vorderman will be joined by author, investigative journalist, and features writer Carole Cadwalladr to discuss the power of independent journalism and explore how new media can drive change.

Award-winning novelist, Kate Mosse CBE FRSL will be joined by acclaimed broadcaster, presenter, musician and author Nihal Arthanayake, to discuss how creativity can bridge political divides, offer new perspectives and build connections.

Academy Award winning filmmaker and animator Nick Park is joined by Aardman’s Managing Director, Sean Clarke, to discuss the making of the multi-award winning Wallace & Gromit. In this Fireside Chat, the pair will reflect on the value of creativity, the making of an iconic British brand, and the challenges facing creatives today – including IP protection in the age of AI.

Angela Griffin has worked in television, film, and theatre for over 30 years, with roles in Waterloo Road, Coronation Street, Lewis, Help and White Lines. In this Fireside Chat, she will reflect on her own path to industry – and what more we can do to improve access for the next generation of creative talent.

And broadcaster, writer and journalist Angela Rippon will host a discussion on the role culture and sport play on prevention, recovery, and community wellbeing.

The Pavilion will be opened on Sunday 22 September by young musicians from Liverpool Philharmonic’s youth quartet.

Policy

Topics to be discussed across a series of roundtables and panels include alternative finance models for sector; the real value of diversity; reflections on the Industrial Strategy; how creatives embrace digital tools in a modern world; creative skills for the future economy; creative education; IP in the age of generative AI and more.

Piano Lates

After a long day of panels, presentations and policy discussions, conference-goers can relax and reflect, as they are invited to enjoy informal chats around the grand piano, as part of Piano Lates, presenting as part of the Pavilion, and located inside the famous Pullman Bar.

The Cultural and Creative Industries Pavilion can only happen thanks to the support of our Sponsors and Presenting Partners.

Creative UK is pleased to announce that Sunday’s activity in the Pavilion is sponsored by 5.

Creative UK also warmly welcomes YouTube as a session sponsor of the Pavilion.

Sunday’s extended edition of Piano Lates is sponsored by Channel 4.

Commenting on the activity, Creative UK Chief Executive Caroline Norbury OBE said:

The Cultural and Creative Pavilion at the Labour Party conference is an opportunity to showcase and explain how the creative sector can support the UK to drive growth and solve some of our country’s biggest social and economic challenges.  This is a unique opportunity for the creative and cultural industries to come together and speak with one voice at a pivotal time for UK policy-making.

From reflecting on the role of creative education in building skills for the future through to the spillover impact of a strong cultural infrastructure to attract inward investment, the Cultural and Creative Industries Pavilion promises to deliver invaluable insights. In what is undoubtedly a challenging economic environment, now is the time to tap into the multi-faceted benefits offered by creativity in all its guises.