A cross-party group of MPs, backed by YouTube, is urging the government to officially recognise the burgeoning online creator economy, which they describe as "stubbornly invisible".
The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Digital Creators, alongside prominent industry figures, has formally written to Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy, demanding the government "properly recognise the UK’s booming creator economy".
This recognition, specifically through inclusion in the upcoming Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) 2026 framework, would unlock vital access to finance, business support, and government grants for a wide array of content creators, including influencers, video producers, podcasters, and online publishers.
The SIC was first devised almost 80 years ago, and was not designed with the digital business models in mind.
The APPG co-chairwoman, Labour’s Feryal Clark, said despite the digital sector being “one of Britain’s great success stories”, it “remains stubbornly invisible to the systems that are supposed to support it”.
“We have a genuine opportunity to fix that,” she said.
“We are asking the Secretary of State to take a practical, low-cost step that would make an enormous difference to thousands of businesses and the people they employ.”
The UK’s creative industries contribute £124 billion in gross value added to the economy and 2.4 million jobs to the economy, with the creator economy among the fastest-growing segments.
Alison Lomax, UK & Ireland managing director, YouTube, said: “The creative industries are an integral part of the Government’s growth plan.
“Modernising SIC codes to recognise digital-first, creator-led businesses, would remove structural barriers, allowing them to access the critical finance and business support they need to scale.”
Phil Hughes, of the Digital Creators Association, and Scott Guthrie, of the Influencer Marketing Trade Body, co-secretariats of the APPG, said they would be launching a full inquiry into the creator economy later this year.
“This is the beginning of a broader programme of work that will make a real difference to our members. We look forward to launching a full inquiry into the creator economy later this year, working with parliamentarians, creators and industry to unlock the full economic contribution of this sector,” they said.
When the Digital Creators APPG launched in September 2025, British content creator Lilly Sabri said: “For many years people have questioned whether being a content creator is a real job, and whether you can actually build a sustainable career from it.
“I started as a content creator on YouTube eight years ago, launched my first business around three years ago and my second shortly after.”
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