26.04.2025: MPs from across the political divide joined forces in Westminster to urge the Government to ditch proposed changes to copyright rules that would pave the way for the widespread “theft” of music creators’ work. 

In a Westminster Hall debate on Thursday secured by Labour MP James Frith (pictured), MPs lined up to criticise the Government’s proposed changes to copyright rules. 

The Government proposals to make sweeping changes to copyright law would give tech firms free access to British films, books, music and news to train AI models – without needing to pay or seek permissions from the people who created it or own the rights. Creators would have to register an opt-out if they did not want their work exploited by such firms. At present their copyright is protected automatically.

Bury North Labour MP James Frith said: “Our creative industries, with their might and strength, remain deeply alarmed. Copyright is the foundation of their creations, our UK industry and livelihoods, across music, films, books, news, investigations, coding, games, paintings and much more. The Government have made strong commitments to our creative industries, but their upcoming industrial strategy for growth will fall well short of the priority placed on those industries if it does not ensure legal peace of mind and action on artificial intelligence for those creating some of life’s greatest experiences. The Government and the Minister have said continually that they want creatives to be better paid and better looked after, with licensing in the AI age to come. Given the agreement on the need for licensing and remuneration, why do the loudest AI tech companies expect to train their machines on human-created content for nothing?”

Concluding his speech, Mr Frith added: “AI cannot be allowed to redefine the soul of creation. If we erode the rights that protect our creators, we risk not only economic loss but strangulation of those voices that tell our stories, reflect our struggles and inspire our futures. Let us affirm that in Britain we value not just innovation but the irreplaceable human spirit behind creativity, and protect the rights that mean that we thrive, for now and for generations yet to imagine, to dream and to create.”

Conservative MP and Chair of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee Dame Caroline Dinenage said:  “AI needs creators and the data they provide—but that data must be paid for, not stolen.’

She added: “AI growth must not come at the cost of our creators and our world-leading creative industries. The two do not have to be mutually exclusive; there must be an opportunity here for this to be a country where both can flourish, in a transparent and accountable environment where everyone’s talents are recognised. I ask the Minister once again to think long and hard before he does anything that could rip up the potential of our world-leading creative industries. Both can grow collaboratively and make this country so much stronger.”

SNP MP and Co-Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Music Pete Wishart said: “The first thing that the Minister has to say to the big AI companies is that our creative heritage—everything we have built in the past few decades—is not there to be plundered and taken for nothing.We must make progress, and I really hope that the Government now decide that they will not pursue the opt-out proposal—it cannot work; there is no way that it could be a technical solution. We have seen that within the EU.”

South Derbyshire Labour MP Samantha Niblett said: “Let us be absolutely clear: copyright is not an inconvenience or a technicality. It is the legal and moral framework that ensures that creators are rewarded for their contributions.”

Croydon East Labour MP Natasha Irons said: ” I welcome this Government’s commitment to our creative industries and to finding a solution fit for the future, but the current proposal of an opt-out system is unworkable and unfair. The Government even acknowledge that the technology to implement an opt-out system does not exist. We must uphold the rights of our content  creators by upholding copyright protections and giving creators the transparency, consent and compensation they deserve.”

Knowsley Labour MP Anneliese Midgley said: “To me, it is very simple: no one should be allowed to use someone’s work without permission or payment. That is called theft. Sidelining the creative sector that already exists comes with a bill, and right now, working artists are being asked to foot it. We in the Labour party believe in making work pay. That has to include the work of musicians.”

Cheltenham Liberal Democrat MP Max Wilkinson said: “This debate has repeatedly shown that, across party lines, we believe that creators must be protected—that is true of those who speak on behalf of the Liberal Democrats, the Government, the Conservatives and the nationalists, and those elsewhere, too. Creators must be at the centre. Data and innovation policy must work for people, not just for platforms, algorithms or corporations. Let us remember that behind every dataset are human stories: the novelist who spent years crafting her narrative; the musician who refined his composition through countless hours of practice; the visual artist whose unique perspective shapes our cultural landscape. Their rights are not obstacles to innovation, but its very foundation.”

Responding for the Government, Creative Industries Minister Sir Chris Bryant said: I am determined to get us to a place where people are properly remunerated, where they are able to enforce their rights, and where AI can flourish in this country and be used by the creative industries and the creative industries are not left by the wayside. In short, to quote the Bible, we will not sell our birthright for a mess of pottage.”