Sir Ian McKellen urges changes to visa rules for artists

The actor, 81, who spent much of his childhood in Wigan, has signed an open letter, also penned by stars including Julie Walters and Patrick Stewart.

It calls for new visa rules for British artists, actors and theatre workers who want to work in Europe after Brexit to be urgently addressed.

And the signing of the letter by Sir Ian, who lived in Wigan from a few months old until he was 12 and enjoyed his first experiences of the stage as an audience member in the town, will be seen as a powerful endorsement of the campaign.

He is a regular visitor back to Wigan and, indeed, made a sell-out solo appearance at the Old Courts during the Pride Festival in 2017.

Other returns have included more than once popping in to Wigan Little Theatre where it all began for him career-wise, having a look round his childhood home in Parson’s Walk, visiting nearby Mesnes Park and being in attendance for his star to be installed in the Wigan Walk of Fame in Believe Square.

And the letter he has got behind, from the performing arts union Equity, urges the prime minister to go back to the negotiating table to ensure visa-free work in the EU.

It states that creative practitioners are desperate to work in Europe once pandemic restrictions lift but “the current Brexit deal is a towering hurdle to that”.

The letter reads: “Before, we were able to travel to Europe visa-free. Now we have to pay hundreds of pounds, fill in form after form, and spend weeks waiting for approval – just so we can do our jobs."

“For a sector that is deeply embedded in the international community – from touring theatre and dance to film, television and commercials – which must work fast, flexibly and to demand, this is a disastrous blow and will hit those already struggling and marginalised groups the hardest."

Due to Brexit, many working in the arts now need to apply for short-term work permits before travelling to work in a number of EU countries.

The letter, which is also signed by Miriam Margolyes, Ricky Tomlinson and Anne-Marie Duff, adds: “Prime minister, we urge you to negotiate new terms with the EU, allowing creative practitioners to travel to the EU visa-free for work, and for our European counterparts to be able to do the same in the UK,” they state.

“Not acting now will do further and irreparable harm to the UK’s creative workforce, our industries and to our standing on the international cultural stage.”

A UK Government spokesman said: “We want our cultural and creative professionals to be able to work easily across Europe, in the same way EU creatives are able to work flexibly in the UK.

"Though the EU rejected proposals that would have allowed this, we hope Member States will act on these calls by changing the rules they apply to UK creatives. We’re working urgently with our cultural sectors to resolve any new barriers they face, so that touring can resume as soon as it is safe to do so.”

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