Last Friday, Ukie organised for Keir Starmer MP for Holborn & St Pancras and Shadow Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union to visit Space Ape’s studio to discover a thriving business in his constituency, and gain an understanding of the games industry’s priorities for our forthcoming departure from the EU.
The tour provided Keir with first hand insight into the innovative new games and services created by Space Ape, as well as an appreciation of how the innovations and skills being driven by the mobile games industry can fuel the UK’s digital economy more broadly.
The subsequent discussion focused on the policies needed to support our industry’s continued growth, and our priorities for the forthcoming EU negotiations including the importance of obtaining a data adequacy decision from the EU as early as possible in order for the free flow of data between the UK and EU to continue seamlessly post March 2019.
With Space Ape boasting such an international team of founders and employees, the discussion naturally shifted to the games industry’s number one concern: talent. As well as discussing the industry’s reliance on highly skilled, diverse, and international talent, the opportunity to build a smart, data-driven future immigration system which positions the UK as home to the best technological and creative talent was highlighted.
Keir Starmer commented: "Fantastic visit reinforcing how innovation and border-less ideas and people have succeeded so quickly. Lots of thought-provoking discussion about Brexit."
We thank Keir for his ongoing support of the games industry and interest in what we need secured in the forthcoming EU negotiations in order to remain a global success story.