Public spending watchdog to investigate £120m 'Brexit festival'

The so-called "festival of Brexit' will be questioned as £120m of taxpayers' money has been 'wasted' on a scheme that has yielded 'so little in return'.

MPs on a cross-party parliamentary committee approached the National Audit Office (NAO) to ask them to look into how the project was being managed and whether political pressures were keeping it going.

The Committee on Digital, Culture, Media and sports (DCMS) had found that the number of visitors to the event - called "Unboxed: Creativity in the UK" - was only 0.36% of the initial targets.

Then, the month last, the committee asked the NAO to "help it get to the bottom of the cho its" of "irresponsible use of public money".

Organizers of the festival had an initial "stretch target" of 66 million visitors, almost as many as the Kingdom's population of 69 million -United. But only 238,000 people visited the festival, The House magazine reported in August.

< p>'See Monster oil rig art installation part of festival

(Ben Birchall/PA)

Tory MP Julian Knight, chairman of the DCMS committee, said : "That such an exorbitant amount of public money has been spent on a so-called celebration of creativity that has barely failed to enter the public consciousness raises serious red flags about how the project was managed from conception to delivery.

"The NAO investigation provides a welcome and thorough examination and helps to understand how so much taxpayer money could be wasted for so little return. »

Mr. adding: "The paltry number attracted to the festival - despite such a large investment - highlights how overinvested the whole project has been a waste of money."

In response, the Comptroller and NAO Auditor General, Gareth Davies, offered a "short, focused report on Unboxed that could serve as the basis for future questions during a committee session with DCMS".

He said the investigation could be completed and its report released by the end of this year with the exact scope and timing yet to be announced.

Paisley Abbey in Scotland lit up as part of festival displays

(Andy Buchanan/AFP via Getty Images)

In response to criticism, the Organizers said the figures "misrepresent audience engagement" and reflect attendance at just eight of the pr's 107 physical locations. ogram of the event.

According to the committee's highly critical report released in March, the organizers rejected its characterization as a Brexit festival and instead promoted it as a celebration of the arts and culture. culture.

In 2018 the project was announced by Theresa May and it was known as "Festival UK* 2022". It was planned to be a national festival of creativity following the UK's departure from the European Union.

Tory MP Jacob Rees-Mogg, who was then Minister for Opportunities of Brexit, dubbed it the "Brexit Festival". . The event - which ran from March to October - was renamed the 'Unboxed' festival when Boris Johnson was Prime Minister.

A DCMS spokesperson said: 'We are not agree with the view of the select committee.< /p>

"Unboxed has helped open up access to arts and culture across the country with an inclusive and groundbreaking program of live and digital events , designed to bring people together and produced in partnership with the ...