UK Music's chief executive, Tom Kiehl, has written to newly installed Prime Minister Andy Burnham, urging him to tackle post-Brexit barriers that make touring the EU difficult for British musicians. Kiehl set out five priorities for the incoming Labour leader, who is known to be a keen music fan, framing the demands as essential to sustaining a sector that generates £4.8 billion a year in exports and that the government has identified as a pillar of economic growth.

The five-point plan calls for removing EU touring red tape and costs, cracking down on ticket touts reselling tickets at inflated prices, using devolved powers to boost regional music scenes, strengthening copyright protections against unauthorised AI use of music, and securing continued strong BBC funding ahead of its Charter Renewal next year. Kiehl said the industry was "not anti-AI" but wanted firms to seek consent, pay creators fairly and be transparent, and pressed Burnham, a former Culture Secretary, to speed up long-promised legislation on touting.