Luvvies blast Rishi Sunak for suggesting they retrain for different career like everyone else

Luvvies’ fury after Rishi Sunak suggests they RETRAIN like everyone else if they lose jobs due to Covid

  • Former Bake Off host Sue Perkins and writer Ian Rankin hit out over remarks
  • They joined musicians including Liam Gallagher and Blur’s Dave Rowntree
  • Their reactions were triggered after Mr Sunak did an interview with ITV News
  • It originally tweeted his remarks had been about the arts but then deleted it
  • Channel then changed the article and said his thoughts were about all jobs
  • But transcript of the clip clearly shows it WAS about the arts and culture sector
  • Mr Sunak tweeted ITV ‘falsely suggested I thought people in arts should retrain’

Musicians and artists have slated Chancellor Rishi Sunak after he said people could have to retrain if they lost work due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

Former Bake Off host Sue Perkins joined voices including writer Ian Rankin and other numerous musicians to slam Mr Sunak’s remarks.

Their outrage appeared to have been triggered by ITV News tweeting an interview with the Chancellor, which was marked as him commenting on the arts.

They later deleted the post and said his words were about employment generally, despite the short chat clearly being framed around that specific industry.

But it was too late for some who had been infuriated by the earlier presentation of the interview.

One dance choreographer fumed: ‘I already have a degree and 19 years experience in the industry I trained to be in, why would I consider now retraining to be something completely different? And also start from scratch on a new pay ladder!?’

Rishi Sunal turned waiter earlier this year to promote his Eat Out to Help Out scheme

Rishi Sunal turned waiter earlier this year to promote his Eat Out to Help Out scheme

Rishi Sunal turned waiter earlier this year to promote his Eat Out to Help Out scheme

TV presenter Sue Perkins wrote: ‘The arts contributes in the region of 10 billion a year to our economy. The people who work in it have already trained long and hard, thank you. This is shameful.’

Author Ian Rankin said: ‘Without the arts, our lives are impoverished. This is nuts,’ said Scottish author Ian Rankin. 

Gallagher fumed: ‘So the dopes in gov telling musicians and people in arts to retrain and get another job what and become massive c**** like you nah yer alright c’mon you know LG x

‘This country would be beyond w*** if it wasn’t for the arts and the music and football show a bit of respect you little TURD cmon you know LG x

Liam Gallagher was infuriated by the remarks and said Mr Sunak and MPs should retrain too

Liam Gallagher was infuriated by the remarks and said Mr Sunak and MPs should retrain too

Liam Gallagher was infuriated by the remarks and said Mr Sunak and MPs should retrain too

Dave Rowntree

Dave Rowntree

Ian Rankin

Ian Rankin

Dave Rowntree (left in grey coat) and Ian Rankin (right) were outraged at the suggestion

‘If anyone needs to retrain it’s them shower of C**** c’mon you know LG x.’ 

Blur drummer Dave Rowntree – who is also a Labour councillor – said on Twitter: ‘What a stupid thing to say. The “arts” earn over £100bn for the UK each year. £13 million an hour. It’s one area where we really are world beating.’ 

Charlatans frontman Tim Burgess said: ‘Maybe some MPs should retrain, as they aren’t really doing their job anyway.’

And Badly Drawn Boy had his own proposal on the best way forward, proposing ‘I suggest Rishi shoves my records up his a***!’

Mr Sunak’s comments were made to ITV News and answered questions on what struggling workers were expected to do in the pandemic.

 He was talking about what people should do as they faced crisis due to coronavirus pandemic. 

Asked specifically about ‘fabulous musicians and artists and actors’ he said while there was work in the creative industries some may need to adapt.

Earlier he had admitted ‘I can’t pretend that everyone can do exactly the same job that they were doing at the beginning of this crisis’.

The comments enraged the music and arts community who vented at the idea of having to retrain.

He said: “I can’t pretend that everyone can do exactly the same job that they were doing at the beginning of this crisis.

“That’s why we’ve put a lot of resource into trying to create new opportunities.”

Rishi and ITV News: Did Chancellor say arts workers should retrain?

INTERVIEWER: You’ve said you want to save as many jobs as possible, but you can’t save every job. It appears in some sectors you’re not trying very hard. For musicians, actors, directors, freelancers in the arts, they say you’ve not helped them at all. Where is the help for those businesses, those jobs , for those people in those industries who simply can’t work?

RISHI SUNAK: In the cultural sector a few months ago we outlined £1.5billion cultural recovery programme. That money is now getting out the door, it’s being administered by the Arts Council and other bodies, I think money’s gone to independent cinemas and independent music venues just in the last week. That’s £1.5billion, it’s an enormous amount of support to preserve our important cultural institutions in all our local town centres and elsewhere and with regard to those who are self-employed, between two and a half and three million people have been able to access our self-employed support scheme, many of the people you mentioned will be able to do that and it remains one of the most comprehensive and generous support programmes for those who are self-employed anywhere in the world.

INTERVIEWER: If you’re a professional musician, what is your message right now? If they can’t earn enough money to live, is your message for them, you’re going to have to get another job?

RISHI SUNAK: I think as I’ve said, my simple message to everybody is that we are trying to do everything we can to protect as many jobs as possible.

INTERVIEWER: But they don’t think you are. In that sector, they just don’t think you are, Chancellor.

RISHI SUNAK: It’s a very sad time, three quarters of a million people have already lost their jobs, we know that and that is likely to increase and many more people will. I can’t pretend that everyone can do exactly the same job they were doing at the beginning of this crisis and that’s why we’ve put a lot of our extra resource into trying to create new opportunities for people, so our kickstart scheme for example for young people who are most at risk of becoming unemployed, all the way up to the age of 24 ,are going to benefit from a fully funded job placement

INTERVIEWER: But that’s a different job isn’t it, that’s you saying go and get a different job

RISHI SUNAK: That fresh and new opportunity for people, that’s exactly what we should be doing

INTERVIEWER: But we’re a country that has created so many fabulous musicians and artists and actors and you’re effectively saying “Look, I know it’s hard, but maybe go and get another job”.

RISHI SUNAK: I think you’re probably not quite right that there’s no work available for any of them at all

INTERVIEWER: For a lot of them, there isn’t

RISHI SUNAK: In all walks of life everyone is having to adapt, I’m getting emails and seeing how theatre companies are adapting and putting on different kids of performances, it is possible to do theatrical performances online as well and for people to engage with them that way and for new business models to emerge, plenty of music lessons are still carrying on , the same thing happens, certainly in my household and elsewhere. So yes can things happen in exactly the way they did, no, but everyone is having to find ways to adapt and adjust to the new reality, and that’s what we all have to do, and that’s why we are allowing that to happen and also providing new opportunity for people if that’s the right vehicle for them.

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