Lloyd-Webber hits out at government arts cuts amid 'cult of austerity'

Andrew Lloyd-Webber accused the Government of "turning its back" on the arts by pursuing a "cult of austerity".

Lord Lloyd-Webber warned in the Lords that arts funding was under "unimaginable strain" and that creative potential was being "strangled" without any clear strategy for the future.

In a debate on the need for a long-term strategy for the arts and cultural sector, the composer and Tory peer said Britain still led the world in the creative industries. But he added: "I can't help feel that in this cult of austerity Britain, the Government is turning its back on one if its most promising and extraordinary world-leading sectors."