Julie has expressed her support for the UK’s creative industries at an event in Westminster today celebrating the enormous successes the sector has had in recent years.

The event was held by MillionPlus, the Association for Modern Universities. The UK’s creative sector is valued at over £84bn, with 2.8m jobs linked to the creative industries around the country.

At the event, Julie said:

“I am delighted to be able to support Britain’s creative sector. I know that in Sunderland Central we have fantastic creative businesses such as Sunderland Software City who add so much to our community, providing jobs and supporting our economy.

“They also help to enrich our country and those working in this sector deserve an enormous thank you from all of us,”

“We need to support them today, and ensure that trained, talented people enter these professions in the future, which is why I believe creativity should be taught at all levels, and be treated with the respect and admiration it deserves.”

MillionPlus represents modern universities, many of whom are at the forefront in teaching these vital creative courses. Pam Tatlow, Chief Executive of MillionPlus, said:

“Today has highlighted the brilliance of this sector, but also the profound challenges it faces. Universities and schools need to be supported to make sure that in the future the UK maintains its position at the very top of this sector globally, and we are urging the government to make sure steps are taken to ensure just that. I would like to thank Julie, who has always supported our work, for supporting this call, and I hope that together we can ensure our creative industries have an extremely bright and prosperous future.”