Publisher bodies call on new Labour government to 'turn the page' after 14 years of 'chaos'

Charlie Redmayne, c.e.o. of HarperCollins, and other leading figures in the industry, have taken the opportunity of the general election result to reiterate some of the key issues facing book publishing, in the hope that the new Labour government would provide greater support.

Meanwhile, the Independent Publishers Guild (IPG) has called on the new administration led by Prime Minister Keir Starmer to “turn a page on several chaotic years”, with publishers saying they want Labour to “reclaim the ground” lost by Brexit.

Redmayne described the publishing industry as “a significant contributor to the UK’s economy and culture” and raised concerns around the protection of intellectual property, copyright and freedom to publish.

He said: “We look forward to working with the new government on key issues such as the protection of intellectual property rights and copyright and the freedom to publish, and in the area of education: open competition in the education publishing market and support for statutory story time and reading for pleasure."

Earlier this week at the HarperCollins author party, Redmayne talked of defending his authors and their books against SLAPPS (Strategic Litigation Against Public Participation), a legal means of preventing information in the public interest from being printed.

Bridget Shine, chief executive of the Independent Publishers Guild (IPG), described the political shift brought about by the general election as “monumental”, adding that “most publishers will be pleased to turn the page on several chaotic years and plan for the future with greater clarity".

Shine said the new government had “an opportunity to bring fresh eyes and a mature attitude to the many challenges facing businesses and our sector”, adding that the IPG will be “closely watching the cabinet and policy take shape” while remaining “optimistic” the government will recognise the incredible diversity and quality of the UK’s creative industries.

She continued: “We’d very much like to see the country reclaim the ground in European and international trade that was lost during years of Brexit upheaval, and invest in school, university and library budgets. New impetus on the climate emergency and green economy, to match and support publishing’s own efforts, would also be welcome."

Shine also urged for a “collaborative approach from new ministers and a willingness to listen to the smaller, entrepreneurial businesses that power so much innovation”, and especially their concerns around generative AI and intellectual property.

Tim Shearer, founder of Confingo Publishing, said: “We hope the new government urgently grasps the opportunity to harmonise relations with the EU so that the impact of Brexit on book sales to EU countries—which for Confingo, as for all small independent publishers, has been disastrous—may be eased. In 2023, we sold approximately one-twentieth of the number of books we once sold to countries within the EU."

Tom Weldon, c.e.o. of Penguin Random House, said: “We congratulate the new government and look forward to working with it to create the conditions for the creative industries to continue to thrive. Specifically, I would call out the ongoing need for copyright protection, the celebration of creative subjects and the urgent requirement for investment in libraries. We are keen to work with the new government on our Libraries for Primaries programme, which aims to put a library in every primary school and aligns with their social justice agenda.”

Earlier, the Publishers Association said it was "optimistic" about the new Labour government.

Meanwhile, author bodies the Society of Authors and the Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society today called on the government to prioritise “existential threats” to publishing and offer a “fairer deal” for authors.