John Berry, the former artistic director of English National Opera, has condemned Dominic Raab for branding Angela Rayner a 'champagne socialist' after she attended Glyndebourne opera during rail strikes. Berry described the criticism as 'sad and embarrassing', arguing that mocking a politician for enjoying opera is 'ridiculous'.
Raab, standing in for Boris Johnson at Prime Minister's Questions, had quipped that Rayner was 'sipping champagne, listening to opera' instead of joining the RMT picket line. Rayner retorted that Raab should 'cut out the snobbery', noting that Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro is about a working-class woman outwitting a privileged villain.
Berry, who led ENO from 2005 to 2015, expressed frustration that 'elitist attacks' on the arts have resurfaced when opera houses are striving to reach diverse audiences. He highlighted Glyndebourne's outreach programme and its employment of freelance artists, adding that MPs are not criticised for attending Wimbledon or pop concerts.
Drawing comparisons with Europe, Berry noted that politicians abroad consider it 'a badge of honour' to attend cultural events. 'When European colleagues observe the conversations in the UK about elitism in the arts, they are shocked,' he said.
