Thread by @BestForBritain

Is there anything more thrilling?

Join us for the live-tweeting ride of your life - it's Frost at the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee. Follow along for more....1/

Order, order, order!

Chair of the Committee already chastising @DavidGHFrost for handing a question over to @cj_dinenage himself. That's the Chair's job.

We're at the edge of ours. 2/

"For the countries that don't have visa or work permit free touring (10 of 27 EU states)" we're "continuing to have engagements" with them bilaterally, says Dinenage. Romania having visa-free festival Aug-Sept, @cj_dinenage invited to continue discussions. 3/

"Do you see the issue of touring as an immigration issue or a trade issue?"

"The issue before us is what we can do to support our creative industries" blusters Frost, before being brought back to answering the question. Which he says is "complex". So why not included in TCA? 4/

Dinenage's predecessor spoke about why protecting FOM was essential for artists. "We did put forward proposals which would've dealt w/ this problem & EU didn't accept them," says Frost. UK didn't accept EU proposal as it included permanent visa waiver.

NOT same as FOM. 5/

Frost says his conversation with @eltonofficial was "helpful". But says he had his "biggest hits" before the UK joined the EU - so there is "more at play here" & talent is important.

Wow.

EJ: "To young people just starting a career, it's crucifying." 6/
bbc.co.uk/news/entertain…

"We hope that good sense will prevail" says @DavidGHFrost. We hope yours will make an appearance.

Point raised that Frost negotiated this deal & didn't seem to think abt the impact on the creative sector. A sector worth the same as finance & construction industries to UK GDP 7/

Here comes the cabotage issue! For a run-down watch this from last week's @UKTradeBusiness session

@DavidGHFrost says they're 'opening consultation' on cabotage issue. Nothing has been presented to EU yet. So that's no progress

"No trucks, no tours" 👇8/

https://twitter.com/UKTradeBusiness/status/1408107975571554308

"I appreciate we don't normally" publish details of negotiations "but we don't normally leave the EU, do we?" The govt "got lucky" w/ this deal. The impact of Brexit on touring still largely theoretical. If this had been a normal year, reality would've been awful for artists 9/

.@DavidGHFrost likens movement of services to movement of goods - says "industry has responded rapidly & dealt with difficulties" in goods trade. That's because they've HAD to. We've heard time & again from exporters current situation is unsustainable. 10/

https://twitter.com/UKTradeBusiness/status/1402990815396335623

"The UK had 40% of the European business market for cabotage" - at the minute that looks impossible to sustain for this sector.

"We knew it would be a problem" says @DavidGHFrost, "but couldn't agree anything" until "the last few days of the negotiations." Should've extended 11/

"We need to get to the bottom of what all the issues are" said @cj_dinenage in February

"To my knowledge there are no current negotiations taking place" on bilateral visa arrangements - 47 days after agreement had been signed

When did @DavidGHFrost know what probs would be? 12/

Penny dropped "in November" that creative industries would be impacted says @DavidGHFrost. Doesn't quite square with @cj_dinenage not knowing issues in February

"I don't think anyone can fairly accuse us of having concealed what we were trying to do" w/ negotiations says DF😂13/

Artists now have to produce:
- copies of docs & translation
- certification
- police certificates (£55 in 10 days & £95 in 2)
- proof of higher education qualifications
- income & health insurance

"You were all about getting rid of red tape. This sector is swamped by it" 14/

"You sacrificed a £6bn sector and its workers for Brexit anti-free-trade-movement-zealotry." TRUTH 🔥

Hearing story of @simonhalsey, principal conductor of choir in Barcelona. Will need 4x 90-day visas now to do same tours as before. Just 1 90-day visa has cost him £490. 15/

.@CliveEfford asks what Brexit benefits there are for this sector?

@DavidGHFrost hilariously points to the tiny agreement w/ EFTA countries as an e.g. of "what can be done" but says "it's not in our hands". Very defeatist from Frost & not what industry wants to hear at all. 16/

"What can YOU do to improve this" asks @CliveEfford?

"We can all take opportunities to get in behind DCMS, embassies & ambassadors to improve the situation" says @DavidGHFrost, it'd be helpful if industry bodies cd help.

They already are. And you didn't answer the question. 17/

"The country took a decision to leave the EU. The country took a decision to end freedom of movement," says @DavidGHFrost

We didn't see 'END FOM' on the ballot paper. It could have been included in a deal - if Govt had put our services sector (80% of exports!) above ideology 18/

We're now half a year on since we left the EU says @julianknight15. "Do you feel as if you could've coordinated these departments quicker?"

SHOCK: @DavidGHFrost says 'No'.

We should've been having bilateral conversations as soon as we exited the EU - not 6 months later. 19/

Waffle, defensiveness, and a public spat with Elton John.

Blaming EU intransigence and a sense of giving up in further negotiations beyond bilateral agreements.

No urgency, no positivity, no solutions on the horizon.

Abysmal from @DavidGHFrost today. /ENDS