Starmer warned Brexit even putting performances of Shakespeare in EU at risk

Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Sir Keir Starmer has been urged to intervene as a leading theatre company has warned that even performances of Shakespeare in the EU are at risk in the wake of Brexit. White Horse Theatre, Europe’s largest educational touring theatre, has provided English-language performances to schools and theatres across Europe for nearly half a century – but rising costs, logistical challenges, and the long-term instability caused by Brexit now threaten its future. “Coupled with rising costs and the risk of pricing ourselves out of reach for many schools, there is a real danger that English theatre could become an art form only accessible to the wealthy.” He said the uncertainty and instability that has resulted from the UK’s exit from the European Union has made it difficult for the theatre to plan ahead or commit to long-term investments in the company, “further jeopardizing our ability to operate sustainably”. “This creates a vicious cycle that could ultimately make English theatre a luxury affordable only to wealthier schools and families, undermining our goal of making theatre accessible to all.” Former deputy prime minister Michael Heseltine told The Independent that this case is “another example of the creeping death that Brexit has injected into our economy”.