Comedy APPG • The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Comedy

CRAFT initiated and serves as the Secretariat for the Comedy APPG. This provides a forum for parliamentarians—MPs and peers—to discuss the whole comedy industry ecosystem — live, broadcast, recorded, digital and visual — the businesses surrounding it and the public it serves. The Group has a particular focus on recognition of comedy as a standalone artform, funding, tax, venues, workforce, safety, skills, creative health and technology.

Registered subject group · Register of All-Party Parliamentary Groups

All-Party Parliamentary Group onComedy

Comedy is one of the things this country is best at. It is also the only major artform with no seat at the table. This Group is where that gets argued out, in Parliament, on the record.

Working for the people and businesses across live, broadcast, recorded, digital and visual comedy.

Talk to us

James Sharp — public enquiry point

ComedyAPPG@thecraft.lol

If something in this industry is not working, tell us. Evidence from the circuit is what the Group takes into the room.

01

What we're pushing for

Ten themes, agreed at the Group's inaugural meeting, drawn from across the comedy industry.

  1. Official recognition as a standalone artform

  2. Visibility and representation in national policy

  3. Tax, finance and economic resilience

  4. Grassroots venues, rates and reinvestment

  5. Fair funding and the evidence base

  6. Creative health and NHS integration

  7. Pay, income security and workforce rights

  8. Safety, safeguarding and professional standards

  9. Talent pipeline, skills and public service media

  10. AI, technology disruption and international growth

Waiting on the Government right now

  • 3 March 2026 — letter to HM Treasury on business rates relief. Following the Treasury written answer that left comedy venues' eligibility to individual local authorities.
  • 9 March 2026 — two questions tabled at the first ministerial roundtable. Whether the Government will commission a formal impact assessment of comedy's economic, cultural, social and creative-health value; and whether it will formally recognise comedy within the structures that shape policy, and on what timeframe.
  • 15 June 2026 — direct request to Rachel Reeves. Asking the Chancellor to add live comedy venues to the relief, with centralised Treasury guidance in place of local authority discretion and parity of esteem with live music.
  • July 2026 — Theatre Tax Relief eligibility. DCMS officials are assessing standard comedy productions against the criteria.
  • 23 July 2026 — letter to the Prime Minister. CRAFT wrote to the Rt Hon Andy Burnham MP requesting an urgent meeting, the inclusion of live comedy venues in the announced 20% business rates cut for pubs, clubs and live music venues, and consideration of the full comedy tax brief: cultural VAT on live admissions, business rates parity, Creators' Averaging Relief for performers, Theatre Tax Relief reform, Audio-Visual Expenditure Credit reform for scripted comedy at every budget, a temporary income tax holiday on the first £30,000 of comedy income, a Creative Health Tax Relief, and a format-neutral audio and content relief. Statements in support came from Tom Walker, Matt Forde, the UK Comedy Advisory Board and three parliamentarians.
02

Get involved

Who this is for

Stand-ups at every level, sketch and improv, character and clown, musical and physical comedy. Venues and promoters, agents and bookers, producers and commissioners, writers and crew. Festivals, comedy clubs above pubs, arenas, podcasters, illustrators and cartoonists.

If you're a parliamentarian

The Group is open to every MP and peer, whatever the party. Email the address above to be added to meeting notices.

If you're a journalist

James Sharp is the public enquiry point for all media questions. Officer names, meeting dates and the Group's register entry are all on this page.

03

Meetings

The Group meets monthly between September and July, one of which is the Annual General Meeting. Formal meetings are advertised in advance on the All-Party Notices, with a parliamentary contact and any outside speakers listed. Minutes go up here afterwards.

Coming up

  • Mon 7 Sep 2026
    14:00–15:00

    Tax treatment for comedy Confirmed · roundtable

  • October 2026
    Date and time TBC

    Comedy is an artform, not a genre Roundtable · venue to be confirmed

  • Mon 12 Oct 2026
    16:00–18:00

    Comedy on prescription: getting into NHS policy Joint session with the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Creative Health · committee room confirmed

Already happened

  • Tue 14 Jul 2026
    15:30–16:30

    Inaugural meeting and election of officers Room Q, Portcullis House, Westminster

04

Officers

Four officers, elected at the inaugural meeting. All are MPs or peers, and the rules require at least one from the governing party and one from the main opposition.

Chair & registered contact
Richard Quigley MPIsle of Wight West · Labour
Co-Chair
Baroness SuggHouse of Lords · Conservative
Vice-Chair
Jess Toale MPBournemouth West · Labour
Vice-Chair
Martin Wrigley MPNewton Abbot · Liberal Democrat

Public enquiry pointJames Sharp

ComedyAPPG@thecraft.lol

First contact for the media, the public, parliamentarians' offices and anyone in comedy with something to raise.

Chair and registered contactRichard Quigley MP

House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA

richard.quigley.mp@parliament.uk

SecretariatCRAFT — the Comedy Representation & Artform Trust

thecraft.lol

Provides the secretariat on a voluntary basis: briefings, meetings, records and parliamentary compliance.

Officer names and party affiliations are published here and in the Register of All-Party Parliamentary Groups. Any change is registered within 28 days.

05

Members

Open to every MP and peer, whatever the party.

Parliamentary members

  • Alberto Costa MPSouth Leicestershire · Conservative
  • Alex Sobel MPLeeds Central and Headingley · Labour (Co-op)
  • Dame Caroline Dinenage MPGosport · Conservative
  • Gill German MPClwyd North · Labour
  • Ian Roome MPNorth Devon · Liberal Democrat
  • John Whitby MPDerbyshire Dales · Labour
  • Lee Barron MPCorby and East Northamptonshire · Labour
  • Lee Dillon MPNewbury · Liberal Democrat
  • Neil Duncan-Jordan MPPoole · Labour
  • Noah Law MPSt Austell and Newquay · Labour
  • Sadik Al-Hassan MPNorth Somerset · Labour
  • Samantha Niblett MPSouth Derbyshire · Labour
  • Shivani Raja MPLeicester East · Conservative
  • Shockat Adam MPLeicester South · Independent
  • Dr Simon Opher MPStroud · Labour
  • Dr Zubir Ahmed MPGlasgow South West · Labour

Listed in addition to the four officers in section 04.

Meet CRAFT’s founding team.

CRAFT BRINGS OVER 300 years of combined comedy industry experience

PATRONS
CHARITY BOARD
COMEDY APPG
COMEDY BOARD
ADVISORS
OBSERVERS

CRAFT has been created by a large team of passionate thinkers working with committed industry professionals and comedy talent.

Our founding team brings together well-known comedy and political patrons, alongside trustees and advisors spanning comedy, business, healthcare, education, technology, policy, and more.

Some of us are hilarious; others not ;). We are all comedy fans with the skills and expertise to help the industry. We believe our support will onwards help communities and audiences to make the world a happier place.

CRAFT’s Five Pillars

CRAFT’s Five Pillars supports comedy where it is the primary artform, spanning the entire ecosystem, spanning live, broadcast, recorded, digital, visual/illustrative, and the surrounding businesses.

01

01 — RIGHTS & ADVOCACY

Artform, Access & Grassroots Development

Make comedy easier to access, champion creativity, and strengthen grassroots pathways across the entire ecosystem.

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02

02 — LAUGHTER AS MEDICINE

Community Health & Wellbeing Delivery

Support and fund practitioners to use comedy and laughter-led experiences to strengthen wellbeing and social connection.

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03

03 — CERTIFIED PUBLIC REGISTRY DIRECTORY

Standards, Safeguarding, & Accountability

Create shared expectations for safe, fair and professional comedy activity—so people can work, book, and participate with confidence.

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04

04 — RIGHTS & ADVOCACY

Public Affairs, Policy, & Representation

Ensure comedy is recognised as a standalone artform across all formats so policy decisions and funding reflect its true role and value.

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05

05 — EVIDENCE TO INNOVATION

Research, Education, & InnovatioN

Grow evidence for cultural, social and economic value; create guidance, training and investment; champion innovation.

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★

☆ — SUPPORT COMEDY

THE COMEDY LEVY FUNDS THE 5 PILLARS

CRAFT is building infrastructure through The Comedy Levy, to fund and support the entire ecosystem of the sector.

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What is CRAFT?

Craft is the national body for comedy, with sustainable solutions.

CRAFT supports the entire comedy ecosystem to maximise opportunities and innovation, widen access, set standards, defend freedom of artistic expression, and build the evidence base that unlocks investment—meaningfully, transparently, and sustainably.

As a vital part of British and international cultural, social, and economic life, CRAFT’s ultimate goal is to: 

  1. protect its professionals and businesses, 

  2. strengthen audience and community access, and 

  3. enable comedy to thrive and sustain in the (AI) years ahead.

As a brand new body for the sector, CRAFT will deliver this infrastructure in stages. 

Phase 1
We start by focusing on creating processes to ensure effective practice and transparency, specifically through the Five Pillars, the CRAFT Certified Public Register Directory, The Comedy Levy, and a sector consultation on standards and immediate industry funding needs.

  • As of launch, CRAFT is ready to receive both restricted and unrestricted funds to The Comedy Levy, backed by Charity Commission transparency standards and donor gift aid status.

  • CRAFT will deliver structural support across the Five Pillars, including to distribute funds from The Comedy Levy across the sector ecosystem.

  • This phase will involve government and key institution consultations and collaboration to include comedy within national frameworks, so the industry is recognised, and funding and support can start to flow into the ecosystem.

Phase 2
We will pilot and prove new models before expanding into monitoring/assurance, funding programmes, research publication, and long-term infrastructure as we scale.