Live events to be covered by govt-backed COVID insurance scheme – as Labour brands move ‘bare minimum’

Published

4 years ago

August 5, 2021

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Live events will be covered by a £750m insurance scheme backed by the government in a bid to stop cancellations over COVID-19.

Industry figures have long called for the government to step in after finding that insurers would not cover them for losses caused by the pandemic.

Many organisers campaigned for a scheme guaranteed by the state that would allow them to plan events without risking financial ruin.

The government announced it has partnered with Lloyd’s to deliver a new Live Events Reinsurance Scheme, which will be available from next month and run until the end of September 2022.

Insurers will receive a guarantee from the government which will allow them to offer products to cover organisers if state restrictions shut events down.

Labour’s shadow culture secretary Jo Stevens criticised the scheme, saying it was the “bare minimum”.

She said the scheme was limited to covering a lockdown and would not apply to scenarios like the reintroduction of social distancing or artists and crews having to self-isolate.

“Yet again the government has dithered, delayed and come up with a solution that doesn’t address the problem,” she said.

“Under this scheme, the government essentially takes no risk and the live events sector carries it all.”

The scheme will be available for the live events sector, which the Treasury said was worth more than £70bn to the economy each year and supports more than 700,000 jobs.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak said the scheme will allow “everything from live music in Margate to business events in Birmingham” to go ahead, providing “a boost to the economy and protecting livelihoods”.

He said: “The events sector supports hundreds of thousands of jobs across the country, and I know organisers are raring to go now that restrictions have been lifted.

“But the lack of the right kind of insurance is proving a problem, so as the economy reopens I want to do everything I can to help events providers and small businesses plan with confidence right through to next year.”

Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden added: “Our events industries are not just vital for the economy and jobs; they put Britain on the map and, thanks to this extra support, will get people back to the experiences that make life worth living.”

Jamie Njoku-Goodwin, chief executive of music industry body UK Music, said the scheme is “incredibly welcome news” for millions of music fans, performers, and those working in the sector.

He said: “The inability to obtain insurance has already caused many cancellations this summer – these have been devastating for the entire music industry and there were fears that without action we would have seen major cancellations continuing well into next year too.”

Commons Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee chairman Julian Knight welcomed the move, saying: “Though it is a shame that it has come too late for some this summer, this scheme will provide the confidence the sector needs to plan and invest in future events.”

Entertainment

Top Boy actor Micheal Ward charged with two counts of rape

Published

7 hours ago

July 25, 2025

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Top Boy actor Micheal Ward charged with two counts of rape

Top Boy actor Micheal Ward has been charged with two counts of rape and is due to appear in court next month.

Ward, 27, has also been charged with two counts of assault by penetration and one count of sexual assault.

The offences relate to one woman and are reported to have taken place in January 2023.

“Our specialist officers continue to support the woman who has come forward – we know investigations of this nature can have a significant impact on those who make reports,” said Detective Superintendent Scott Ware, whose team is leading the Met Police’s investigation.

Ward, of Cheshunt, Hertfordshire, is due to appear at Thames Magistrates’ Court on 28 August, the Crown Prosecution Service said.

Ward said he denies the charges of rape and sexual assault, adding in a statement: “I recognise that proceedings are now ongoing, and I have full faith that they will lead to my name being cleared.”

In a statement, Catherine Baccas, deputy chief crown prosecutor for CPS London South, said: “We remind all concerned that proceedings against the suspect are active and he has a right to a fair trial.

“It is vital that there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in anyway prejudice these proceedings.”

Ward starred in the popular Netflix series Top Boy as Jamie. He also appeared in films like Blue Story, The Old Guard and Empire of Light.

In 2020, the Jamaican-born actor was awarded the Bafta Rising Star honour in 2020.

He was nominated for Best Supporting Actor Bafta in 2021 for his role as Franklyn in the BBC series Small Axe, and 2022 for his performance as Stephen in Empire of Light.

Ward is also in the upcoming American film Eddington alongside Joaquin Phoenix and Pedro Pascal, which is set to be released in the UK next month.

He has more than a million followers on Instagram and participated in charity events like the Soccer Aid match at Stamford Bridge last year.

Ward gave a reading at the Christmas Eve carol service hosted by the Princess of Wales in 2023.

Entertainment

Kelly Osbourne pays tribute to ‘best friend’ Ozzy – in first comments since his death

Published

8 hours ago

July 25, 2025

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Kelly Osbourne pays tribute to 'best friend' Ozzy - in first comments since his death

Kelly Osbourne has commented on the death of her father Ozzy Osbourne for the first time since he died on Tuesday.

The figurehead of heavy metal died aged 76, just a few weeks after performing a huge farewell show with his Black Sabbath bandmates in Birmingham, where the band was formed in 1968.

After the show, Kelly got engaged to her longtime partner and musician Sid Wilson, of the band Slipknot, after he got down on one knee backstage.

After the frontman passed away on Tuesday, the Osbourne family released a joint statement that read: “It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away this morning. He was with his family and surrounded by love.”

In her first comments since losing her father, Kelly wrote on Instagram: “I feel unhappy I am so sad. I lost the best friend I ever had,” followed by a broken heart emoji.

She was quoting lyrics from the 1972 Black Sabbath song Changes.

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The father and daughter were famously close, appearing on The Osbournes reality TV show together and covering the song Changes as a duet in 2003.

“That song stands for so much in our family and to me and Dad,” Kelly said on the TV show Ozzy & Jack’s World Detour, starring her brother, Jack.

“It was not only both of our first number one [single] in the UK, it represented a time in my life and a time in Dad’s life, it represented our relationship and how much we loved each other.”

Black Sabbath are widely credited with having invented heavy metal, but the piano ballad Changes widely deviated from their usual guitar and drum-heavy style.

The band Coldplay also used the song to pay tribute to Ozzy this week, playing a stripped back, short version of Changes in a show in Nashville, Tennessee.

After the song, frontman Chris Martin said: “Ozzy, we love you, wherever you’re going.”

Entertainment

Riverdance star Michael Flatley to make bid for Irish presidency, court hears

Published

11 hours ago

July 25, 2025

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Riverdance star Michael Flatley to make bid for Irish presidency, court hears

Riverdance star Michael Flatley is hoping to become Ireland’s next president, a court has heard.

The revelation came out in a legal case over work done on his mansion in County Cork, the Castlehyde.

Barrister Ronnie Hudson said there had been a “material change in circumstances” for Flatley and he’s set to move back to Ireland in the next two weeks in the hope of running in autumn’s election.

A legal statement signed by the star’s solicitor, Maxwell Mooney, was also submitted to the High Court stating Flatley would “seek nominations to run for president of Ireland”.

Flatley rose to fame when Riverdance, which features traditional Irish music and dance, became a phenomenon in the 1990s and went on to tour the world. It continues to be performed today.

The choreographer and dancer also created and starred in Lord Of The Dance.

The 67-year-old – who currently lives in Monaco – strongly hinted at a presidential bid last week, but said he hadn’t made a final decision.

He told a radio interview he didn’t think the Irish people had a “true proper deep voice that speaks their language”.

Flatley said the “average person on the street” is unhappy with the status quo and “somebody has to speak for the Irish people”.

The role of president in Ireland is largely ceremonial and is currently held by Michael D Higgins, whose term ends on 11 November.

The election is expected to take place at the end of October.

A candidate needs nominations from at least 20 members of the Irish parliament or at least four local authorities.

Those who’ve already met the criteria are former farming journalist and EU commissioner Mairead McGuinness, and former Galway mayor Catherine Connolly.

Former MMA fighter Conor McGregor is among others who have also hinted they might run – although the prospect was universally rejected by other politicians in Ireland.