As AI has become the centerpiece of a bitter row between Britain’s leading artists and the Labour government, top artists have called Prime Minister Keir Starmer to safeguard their work as he prepares to host Donald Trump in London for talks expected to yield a new UK-US technology agreement.
In a strongly worded letter, some of the country’s most celebrated musicians and writers accused Labour of failing to defend their “basic human rights” by allowing AI companies to exploit copyright without consent.
Musicians Mick Jagger, Kate Bush, Paul McCartney, Elton John, Annie Lennox were among the signatories, including more than 70 other figures from across the creative industries
UK artists say AI is stealing a lifetime worth of work
Government plans to permit AI developers to train systems on books, lyrics, scripts, and music without prior information were condemned by artists. Elton John said such a policy leaves the door wide open for an artist’s life’s work to be stolen.
“We will not accept this,” he added. “And we will not let the government forget their election promises to support our creative industries.”
The letter, backed by organizations including the News Media Association, the Society of London Theatre and Mumsnet, insisted that copyright law is being “flouted en masse” by global technology firms.
In the letter, ministers were accused of deliberately obstructing amendments to the recent data bill that seeks to mandate AI firms to disclose the copyrighted works used in training their models.
The artists on top of the simple copyright complaints, framed the dispute as a human rights matter. They argued that removing transparency provisions “actively stood in the way” of creators exercising their rights under international conventions, including the UN’s covenant on cultural rights, the Berne Convention, and the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).
The letter points to a provision in the ECHR stating that “no one shall be deprived of his possessions except in the public interest”, adding that removing the amendments breached UK citizens’ rights, under the ICESCR, to “the protection of the moral and material interests resulting from any scientific, literary or artistic production of which he is author.”
Starmer and Labour are in an uneasy position
Since taking office, Labour has found itself at odds with Britain’s cultural sector, which employs more than two million people and generates billions in revenue. Elton John has previously dubbed the current administration “absolute losers,” according to a Cryptopolitan earlier report.
Starmer’s administration launched a consultation on copyright reform that initially favored giving AI firms wide access to copyrighted content, unless creators formally opted out.
It was only after an uproar that the position was revised with ministers now going back to working groups formed of both the creative industries and the tech sector in order to reach a compromised consensus. However, campaigners say those panels are stacked with American interests.
According to Lady Beeban Kidron, who spearheaded amendments to the data bill, the government gave in to pressure from Silicon Valley.
“The working groups are packed with US interests – OpenAI, Meta, and others. And recent deals with Google and OpenAI show where the government’s priorities lie,” she said.
Kidron warned that Labour was “knowingly undermining the foundations of the UK’s creative industries” by prioritizing trade agreements and data center investments over copyright protections.
Now, the timing of the artists’ intervention is no accident. Officials in London and Washington are expected to announce a new UK-US pact covering AI and digital trade this week as Donald Trump is accompanied by tech executives on his upcoming state visit.
Downing Street has sought to calm tensions. A government spokesperson said the concerns of musicians, writers and publishers were being taken “seriously”, promising a report on the impact of potential changes by next March.
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