Nadine Dorries: Arts Council's cut to ENO was lazy and politically motivated

Former culture secretary Nadine Dorries has criticised Arts Council England for cutting funding to English National Opera, labelling recent national portfolio decisions “lazy” and “politically motivated”.

Dorries claimed on social media that ACE’s 100% cut to ENO as part of the NPO funding round late last year had been “pulled as a stunt to try [to] reverse levelling up and funding being transferred to poorer communities in the north of England”.

ACE told ENO it would have to relocate out of the capital and offered it £17 million to develop a new business plan. ENO chief executive Stuart Murphy has repeatedly warned that ACE had not given the opera company enough time and that it was putting its future at risk.

Dorries’ comments come as she was placed at number one in The Stage 100 – an annual list that charts the most influential people in the sector. While usually celebratory, this year’s entry marks the first time a figure has topped the list for having a negative influence on the sector, with Dorries overseeing the decision to cut ACE funding in London as part of the levelling-up agenda.

Responding on Twitter, she said: "I’ve topped The Stage 100 for moving @ace_national funding out of London to regions in the country where not a penny is received to support the arts as part of levelling up and blamed for lazy, politically motivated decision making at ACE, who shockingly cut £16 million ENO grant."

I’ve topped @TheStage 100 for moving @ace_national funding out of London to regions of the country where not a penny is received to support the arts as part of #levellingup
and blamed for lazy, politically motivated decision making at #ACE who shockingly cut £16m @E_N_O grant

— Nadine Dorries (@NadineDorries)

I’ve topped @TheStage 100 for moving @ace_national funding out of London to regions of the country where not a penny is received to support the arts as part of #levellingup
and blamed for lazy, politically motivated decision making at #ACE who shockingly cut £16m @E_N_O grant

— Nadine Dorries (@NadineDorries) January 5, 2023

She said funding had not been removed from London to the north in "one fell swoop" but was a four-year programme starting with £24 million in the first year, adding: "If there ever was a case for the decision for arms-length bodies to be brought under political control, ACE have just made it."

When asked to help save ENO by a Twitter user, she said she agreed it should be saved and that ACE had "pulled this as a stunt to try [to] reverse levelling up and funding being transferred to poorer communities in the north of England."

Totally agree. @ace_national pulled this as a stunt to try reverse #levellingup and funding being transferred to poorer communities in the north of England.
It’s lazy and political.Their money comes from you, the tax payer via Gov but only they get to decide where it is spent. t.co/TlI2WATEly

— Nadine Dorries (@NadineDorries)

Totally agree. @ace_national pulled this as a stunt to try reverse #levellingup and funding being transferred to poorer communities in the north of England.
It’s lazy and political.Their money comes from you, the tax payer via Gov but only they get to decide where it is spent. https://t.co/TlI2WATEly

— Nadine Dorries (@NadineDorries) January 5, 2023

"It’s lazy and political. Their money comes from you, the taxpayer via gov but only they get to decide where it is spent," she added.

It marks the first time Dorries has commented on the decision publicly.

An Arts Council England spokesperson said: "We have delivered on the instruction given to us by the government in February 2022 to disburse additional funding we received to benefit areas outside of London and to reduce the budget for London. We were clear with organisations throughout the funding application process that a smaller budget for London would result in difficult decisions. Each year, over the next three years, £43.5 million will be invested in 78 levelling up for culture towns and cities, and £294 million will go to 708 organisations outside the capital, ensuring that more people in more places will find fantastic, fulfilling art and culture on their doorsteps.”