Leading British artists including Paul McCartney, Elton John, Kate Bush, and Mick Jagger have written to Prime Minister Keir Starmer urging him to safeguard creators' rights as the UK prepares for a tech deal with the US during Donald Trump's state visit. The letter, signed by over 70 figures from the creative industries, criticises the government's refusal to force artificial intelligence firms to disclose copyrighted material used in their systems.
The letter argues that the government's proposed approach to copyright law—allowing AI companies to train on protected work unless creators opt out—amounts to mass theft and violates international human rights treaties, including the European Convention on Human Rights. Elton John said the proposals “leave the door wide open for an artist’s life work to be stolen,” adding that signatories “will not let the government forget their election promises to support our creative industries.”
Other signatories include Annie Lennox, author Antonia Fraser, and playwright Kwame Kwei-Armah. Creative organisations backing the letter include the News Media Association, the Society of London Theatre & UK Theatre, and Mumsnet. The letter highlights that Labour rejected amendments to the Data (Use and Access) Bill that would have required AI firms to reveal their training data sources.
Crossbench peer Beeban Kidron, who tabled the amendments, accused the government of “prioritising the short-term optics of data centre announcements and trade deals” while “knowingly undermining the foundations of the UK’s creative industries.” She noted that working groups convened by the government are “packed” with US tech interests, including OpenAI and Meta.
A UK government spokesperson said concerns are being taken “seriously” and that a report on the impact of potential changes will be published by the end of March. “No decisions have been taken,” the spokesperson said, “but our focus is on both supporting rights holders and creatives, while making sure AI models can be trained on high-quality material in the UK.”
