Oral Answers to Questions

Lewis Cocking Excerpts

Thursday 22nd May 2025 Commons Chamber

[Stephanie Peacock]

I absolutely will reflect those comments to the Treasury. I have had many a fun time at the St Leger, which is just down the road from me in Barnsley, and I would be delighted to visit again, if I can.

[Lewis Cocking (Broxbourne) (Con)]

2. What steps her Department is taking to help incentivise film production in the UK.

[The Minister for Creative Industries, Arts and Tourism (Chris Bryant)]

We support and incentivise film production in the UK through our range of audiovisual tax reliefs, through support for business rates relief, and through funding directly to the industry.

[Lewis Cocking]

In Broxbourne, we were meant to be seeing the £700 million Sunset Studios project, which is now sadly not going ahead, in part due to the national insurance increase, new employment regulations and this Government’s handling of the economy. Is that what the Government mean by supporting the film industry?

[Chris Bryant]

What utter nonsense! The hon. Gentleman may only just have arrived in this House in the last year—of course, today is the anniversary of the moment when the former Prime Minister called the election and it rained on his parade. I simply point out that the company suspended its plans in the hon. Gentleman’s constituency in 2023, when there was a Conservative Government.