The All Party Writers Group (APWG) hosted is 2026 Summer Reception on 7 July. The event saw writers, parliamentary group members and representatives across the creative industries come together in support of reading and literacy. Speeches covered an overview of the APWG’s progress on writers’ rights, AI developments and the outcomes so far from the National Year of Reading 2026.
The APWG chair, Chris Evans MP, opened proceedings with a review of the year so far, focusing on the progress made regarding copyright and AI, and the work undertaken during the National Year of Reading.
Chris Evans MP highlighted the Government’s decision to step away from their previous preference for a copyright exception in their Assessment and Impact Report in March, which the APWG welcomed as a step in the right direction.
Speaking on the National Year of Reading, he emphasised the importance of this year to both the APWG and to him, personally:
“In our most recent AGM, the All Party Writers Group agreed the National Year of Reading presented great opportunities for us to support and hear about the efforts to encourage young people to read more… I would just like to say this is a cause very close to my heart… everything I’ve achieved, everything I ever had, came from a book.”
Andrew Ettinger, Director of Education for the National Literacy Trust, spoke about the NLT’s ongoing work with the Government to help raise the joy of reading in schools across the UK. He mentioned a three-pronged focus in motivation, support and access to ensure kids could find a joy in reading again, thanking authors for their contribution to this:
“By writing high quality, interesting books about things that children care about, authors have made this year possible, and the future as well. Writers are essential for readers.”
One of the initiatives includes the Senior National Reading Champions Quiz, the largest reading quiz in the country, run in collaboration with the Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society, to celebrate children that love reading and the impressive depth of their knowledge and understanding.
Other initiatives mentioned involved the Go All In campaign in collaboration with the Government, cash boosts for public libraries and teaching support, and a commitment to ensure every state primary school in England has a library by 2029 through the Libraries for Primaries program.
Andrew spoke of the fundraisers, local events and support services the NLT were involved in, as well as the NLT welcoming the Government’s ambition in their Curriculum Assessment Review, which was in line with their mission to improve literacy. Finally, the Annual Literacy Survey was brought up, showing that after a decade’s decline, the NLT saw for the first time a small but clear change that children were starting to enjoy reading again, with a full evaluation to follow soon.
You can access the Annual Literacy Survey here.
