UK lawmakers probe whether policy is keeping pace with creator economy

Lawmakers are examining what is holding back creator-led businesses from starting, scaling and competing globally, as the sector pushes for greater recognition and support from government.

The Digital Creators All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG), which brings together MPs and peers with an interest in the sector, has opened a call for evidence. It is co-chaired by former AI and Digital Minister Feryal Clark MP and Lord Ed Vaizey, with the Influencer Marketing Trade Body (IMTB) and Digital Creator Association acting as its secretariat.

“The UK creator economy is booming, but is government policy keeping up?” Clark said in a video announcing the inquiry. Reflecting on her time as AI and Digital Minister, she said creators received too little consideration in policymaking. “The creator economy is a serious and growing part of the UK’s creative industries. Yet creators still struggle to be taken seriously,” she said.

Access to finance is the first issue under scrutiny, with the inquiry examining how lenders understand creator businesses and whether they can access support already available to other companies.

Jade Beason, a creator and member of the Creative Industries Council, pointed to the difficulties that can arise when that understanding is missing: “Lenders often don’t understand what we do and won’t lend to us as a result.”

The inquiry will also consider what prevents creator businesses from scaling and competing internationally, and whether the current policy environment supports their ability to reach audiences.

Scott Guthrie, director general of IMTB, and Phil Hughes, founder of the Digital Creator Association, argued that their global reach is already clear. “British creators are reaching audiences that traditional media could only dream of,” they said. “They export UK culture and talent around the world, representing a serious soft power asset. But, policy hasn’t caught up.”

The APPG is accepting written evidence from creators and the wider industry ahead of oral evidence sessions next month. Its findings are due to be published in December.