It was a big photo-op moment when the U.K.’s new prime minister Keir Starmer delivered his victory speech at Tate Modern last Friday after leading the Labour party to a historic landslide win in the general election. Standing against the red-lit backdrop of the Turbine Hall, illuminated to match the signature color of the winning party, Starmer said “it feels good” to a cheering crowd, and pledged to “restore Britain to the service of working people.”
Labour’s win was predicted, especially as public anger has mounted against the austerity-fueled policies of the Conservative “Tory” party over the last several years. Yet Starmer’s unstoppable momentum has not assured many in the arts and culture sector. Some industry professionals, from institution leaders to advisors and critics, remain skeptical that the new government will be able to rectify the “chaos” inflicted on the cultural sector under 14 years of Tory rule, as Labour has pledged to do in their manifesto. Moreover, it seems that some Labour policies may…
