This week I have been thinking about what an incredible privilege it is to live in a capital city among some of the most talented people in the world.
Daniel Lee’s spectacular Burberry show at Tate Britain for London Fashion Week on Monday was a case in point. Brilliant, clever, accomplished people descended on London to watch sartorial creations modelled by British greats, from Richard E Grant to Lesley Manville to Naomi Campbell. Flair, wit, style and a specific type of London swagger were everywhere to be seen.
It’s hard to be a creative in London now and those who succeed must be applauded and treasured, but also protected.
Labour’s initiative to allow big tech to plunder British creative output for free in order to train their AI systems must be stopped. We can’t simply hand over our creative jewels to the capricious gods of Silicon Valley for free. It’s a pernicious proposal and nothing less than theft. I hope you’ll join The London Standard in refusing to give way on this.
In this week’s issue we celebrate raw talent in all its guises, from Gordon Ramsay to Brit-nominated Teddy Swims, comic Sara Pascoe and Hayley Atwell and Tom Hiddleston’s five-star turns in Much Ado.
I hope you enjoy the issue.
The London Standard is available for free pick-up across the city from Thursday to Monday or you can read the digital edition online.
