Lord Sumption — former Supreme Court judge plus medieval historian — has the reputation of being the cleverest man in England. To this can be added that he’s an ornament to the London arts scene. I’m talking about his resignation from the board of the English National Opera. By quitting the way he has, he’s brought to public attention the scandal that is the Arts Council’s treatment of London’s second opera house. By slashing its funding it is forcing the company to move outside London? Where? No-one knows.
In a scorching letter to the director of the ENO, Lord Sumption writes that under the forced relocation, ENO will become a mere brand-name for a fringe offering, a pale imitation of the real thing that we have been putting on in London for decades. “What is now proposed is a travesty of our values, our traditions and our achievements.”
