Free Entry to UK National Museums Will Continue, Government Says

On Monday, the UK government poured cold water on speculation that overseas visitors could soon be forced to pay entry fees to the country’s national museums.

Lisa Nandy, the secretary of state for digital, culture, media and sport (DCMS), confirmed that institutions including the British Museum, Tate, the National Portrait Gallery, and National Museums Liverpool will continue to offer free admission. Nandy made the announcement at an event at Tate Liverpool organized by Art Fund and the Cultural Policy Unit. It comes as the UK’s free museum-entry policy approaches its 25th anniversary. The 15 national museums sponsored by the DCMS began offering free admission on December 1, 2001, under the Labour government.

She said the policy is about keeping museums open and accessible to everyone. “They remind us of our shared history and enable us to step outside the confines of our lives,” Nandy said. She added that free entry should remain in place “forever,” describing it as a way of ensuring continued public access to the country’s collections.

The announcement settles months of discussion over whether international visitors might eventually be charged. The debate has taken place alongside wider questions about how the UK’s publicly funded cultural institutions can manage financial pressures, including those raised by a recent review of Arts Council England (ACE).

The Cultural Policy Unit has been campaigning to keep museums free for overseas visitors. Its director, Alison Cole, said the policy had grown into something much bigger than an approach to museum admissions, describing it as “a universal public good.”

Museum directors have also welcomed the decision. Tristram Hunt of the Victoria and Albert Museum and Nicholas Cullinan of the British Museum were among those to support it.Gabriele Finaldi, director of London’s National Gallery, said free admission has helped make museums part of everyday public life in the UK.

“Free entry to national museums is one of the UK’s greatest cultural assets,” he said. “It enables millions to visit, enjoy, and learn.”

However, not everyone in the museum sector has backed the system as it is. In July 2024, Mark Jones, then interim director of the British Museum, suggested introducing a £20 admission charge for overseas visitors, arguing that international tourism could provide museums with an additional source of income.The question of museum admission is also part of a larger conversation about cultural funding in the UK. The government has recently given regional authorities in England the power to introduce an Overnight Visitor Levy, effectively a tourist tax. Cultural organisations have argued that revenue from the levy should be directed towards arts and cultural provision.