Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Today is World Poetry Day 📝 Read poems sent in letters during the Second World War in the Letters to Loved Ones collection, submitted for the 80th anniversary of VE Day letters.ve-vjday80.gov.uk

Great to be at @NHM_London this morning who welcomed a record 7 million visitors last year - a testament to the world-class experiences our museums deliver. Photo credit ©️ Trustees of The Natural History Museum, London

Culture has an amazing power to bring people together. I met with Nigeria’s Culture Minister @hanneymusawa to celebrate the UK-Nigeria Season of Culture in 2028: britishcouncil.org.ng/about/press/UK… We’ll be working together to build new opportunities to grow our creative sectors.

Local media is essential for a healthy democracy. I visited @ThisisRiverside to see how stations like this all over the UK are bringing communities together. Our new Local Media Action Plan is doubling community radio funding to £1m a year. gov.uk/government/new…

Such a pleasure to attend a performance of Summerfolk at the National Theatre. Over 17 million people visit theatres in the West End each year, we are so proud of their impact as an artform and as a visitor attraction. #englishtourismweek

Brilliant to join Merlin Entertainment on the London Eye this week as part of #EnglishTourismWeek! Merlin Entertainments manages over 130 attractions across 24 countries, including LEGOLAND Parks, Madame Tussauds, and SEA LIFE, attracting over 60 million visitors annually.

Over 230 towns are officially in the running to become the UK’s first-ever Town of Culture There’s still time to tell your story! Applications close in just under two weeks gov.uk/government/pub…

Congratulations to Blackpool, Inverness-Highland, Ipswich, Middlesbrough, Milton Keynes, Portsmouth, Sheffield, Swindon and Wrexham! Places like these are the very heart of our national story and UK City of Culture is a chance to showcase the best. gov.uk/government/new…

Today in Parliament we marked #EnglishTourismWeek. Great to highlight the brilliant work that this industry does across the country contributing £147 billion to the economy and 2.4 million jobs.

The @premierleague, @FA and the @DCMS’s Football Foundation joined colleagues, including @SportEngland, from across sport at a Downing Street reception hosted by Prime Minister @Keir_Starmer The event celebrated 25 years of partnership with the Premier League, The FA and the Football Foundation, and championed all those involved in making it happen. 🔗 footballfoundation.org.uk/news/football-…

Thrilled to announce the longlist for #UKCityOfCulture today. Congratulations to Blackpool, Inverness-Highland, Ipswich, Middlesbrough, Milton Keynes, Portsmouth, Sheffield, Swindon and Wrexham gov.uk/government/new…

Jump at the chance! 👀 More tickets have been made available across all sports for the #Glasgow2026 Commonwealth Games - get yours now. 🎟️ glasgow2026.tmtickets.co.uk/?utm_source=X&…

UK City of Culture recognises the enormous contributions made by communities all over the UK These nine places showcased the local culture and heritage that makes them unique Congratulations to Blackpool, Inverness-Highland, Middlesbrough, Milton Keynes, Portsmouth, Sheffield, Swindon, Ipswich and Wrexham gov.uk/government/new…

Local media has always been a ladder of opportunity to help new voices break into journalism. This is not a nice to have. It is essential to a cohesive country. Our debate is too narrow and too small. We are changing that. The future of news is local. independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-n…

Inspiring Paralympic Homecoming Ceremony this afternoon. Congratulations to all our brilliant @ParalympicsGB athletes who made us so proud in Milano Cortina! 🇬🇧

Pleased to speak at the West Midlands Tourism Awards at the Belfry. Great to see finalists from museums, coffee shops, hotels, restaurants & more. Thank you @RichParkerLab, West Mids Combined Authority & West Mids Growth Company for this celebrating during #EnglishTourismWeek.

From a new Regional Media Forum in the West of England to digital news access in every state school, local media can remain a trustworthy voice for everyone Read the full strategy here: gov.uk/government/new…

✅ £12m Local News Fund for innovation ✅ Doubling community radio funding to £1m a year ✅ Tackling ‘news deserts’ to return reporting to underserved areas

Local journalism is vital for a healthy democracy, but it’s under pressure. The Local Media Strategy will protect and revive high-quality news across the UK 🧵

Behind every sporting great, there’s a community club where it all began. Great to celebrate grassroots facilities at @10DowningStreet this evening and commit an extra £10m this year to support the places where the love of sport is born.