The Prime Minister will deliver a crucial keynote speech at the Labour Party Conference later today.
Andy Burnham will deliver his keynote speech at the Labour Party Conference on Tuesday (Image: Getty)
Andy Burnham’s government has made a huge U-turn just hours before the Prime Minister is due to deliver a keynote speech at the Labour Party Conference. It has been revealed that overseas visitors will not be charged to enter England’s national museums after ministers decided against changing the universal free admission policy.
It comes after months of discussions between the Government, museums, the tourism sector and local leaders to examine whether making tourists from abroad pay could boost the institutions’ finances. In March, ministers said “charging international visitors at national museums could provide significant benefits” as they vowed to work with the sector to explore options to do so.
Free entry to museums was introduced in 2001. (Image: Getty)
It came in response to an independent review published in December by former Labour minister Baroness Margaret Hodge, who said a charging model for international tourists “would align the UK with other countries, such as New Zealand and Singapore, that charge an entry fee to international visitors whilst retaining free entry for citizens and residents”.
But the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has confirmed free admission will remain in place for everyone.
It said: “The Government believes that charging overseas visitors could deter domestic visitors and that the impacts and benefits of charging would not be felt equally across the sector and therefore will not introduce charges for overseas visitors.”
Free entry to museums was introduced by Sir Tony Blair’s government in 2001.
The DCMS said national museums contribute more than £1billion a year to the economy and attract visitors from around the world, with the Natural History Museum and the British Museum – currently displaying the Bayeux Tapestry – drawing 7.1 million and 6.4 million visitors respectively in 2025.
The Government also pointed to £760million in funding for museums through its £1.5billion Arts Everywhere Fund, as well as £600million in infrastructure funding for national museums.
It said the £13.6million museum transformation programme would help organisations move towards more sustainable business models, while ministers would work with the Arts Council and the sector on a long-term strategic plan for museums, with further details to be announced.