Creators Make Case for Fair Pay at Labour Parliamentary Drop In
Above: CRA Board Members with MPs Lee Barron and Samantha Niblett. Below: DCSM Minister Sir Chris Bryant with CRA Members
Photographs © Adam Shaw/Association of Photographers member.
The Creators’ Rights Alliance (CRA) hosted a well-attended parliamentary drop-in session yesterday (June 16th 2025), bringing together Labour MPs, Peers and leading UK creators to spotlight urgent challenges facing creators including artificial intelligence (AI), the need for stronger copyright protections and fair pay.
Organised with the support of Lee Barron MP, the event created a platform for authors, illustrators, photographers, and filmmakers to directly engage with policymakers.
The session started with a surprise appearance by DCMS Minister Sir Chris Bryant who offered an update on next steps.
The CRA was joined by Alison Hume MP (Whitby & Scarborough), Richard Quigley MP (Isle of Wight), Chris Hinchcliff MP (East Hertfordshire), Rupa Huq MP (Ealing Central and Acton), Samantha Niblett MP (South Derbyshire), and Baroness Barbara Keeley.
Among the creators in attendance were author and historian Lucinda Hawksley, award-winning children’s author and illustrator Chris Haughton, and renowned TV and film director Susanna White.They were joined by prominent photographers including Faye Thomas (AOP Board Member), Tom Parker (AOP Gold Award Winner), Hat Margolies (AOP Board Member), and Adam Shaw (AOP Board Member and event photographer), all of whom spoke candidly with MPs about how AI technologies are affecting creative incomes and livelihoods.
The CRA was represented by a diverse group of board members representing creators. In attendance were CRA Chair Deborah Annetts (ISM), Co-Chairs Isabelle Doran (Association of Photographers) and Anna Ganley (Society of Authors), along with Rachel Hill (AOI), Jessica Craig (Musicians’ Union), Lesley Gannon and Ellie Peers (Writers’ Guild of Great Britain), Thomas Rososchansky (Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society), Victoria Morris (Directors UK), and Paul Mortimer (Ivors Academy). Carole Tongue, Chair of the UK Coalition for Cultural Diversity, also participated.
The session sparked constructive conversations and renewed momentum for engagement. Conversations with MPs reinforced the need for transparency in how creative works are used by AI systems which had been a key demand around the Data (Use & Access) Bill. Without transparency, creators cannot know when their work is used, nor can they seek appropriate compensation. The impact of AI is already being felt by reduced incomes and commissions.
The event forms part of the CRA’s broader campaigning push to protect creators' incomes. In recent months we have intensified efforts to engage with MPs, brief members of the House of Lords, and advocate on behalf of the UK’s creators.
