Pay arts interns minimum wage, demands Labour MP

Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt was today challenged over the "worrying" use of unpaid interns in some of London's leading museums and galleries.

The Imperial War Museum, Natural History Museum and National Portrait Gallery were among major arts bodies found still to be using unpaid interns despite a government drive, led by Nick Clegg, to end the practice.

Research by Labour MP Luciana Berger found that Government-funded arts and sports bodies have taken on more than 800 unpaid interns over the past two years. That includes the Olympic Delivery Authority, which had seven in 2010 but increased the number to 28 last year.

Ms Berger has written to Mr Hunt calling on him to investigate the practice. In a letter seen by the Standard, she warned it was "far more difficult for the Government to pressure the private sector to abandon this practice when you are not leading by example and paying interns the national minimum wage".

The Liverpool Wavertree MP went on: "Unpaid internships limit the opportunities for people who cannot afford to work free. They can also lead to young people being forced to work for free in circumstances where they are legally entitled to be paid, in order to get a start in their career."

A spokesman for Mr Hunt's Culture, Media and Sport Department said: "We recognise the benefits of a well-run internship for both individuals interested in a career in museums and the organisations themselves.

"The Government encourages all employers to offer financial support to interns so that they are genuinely open to all young people and not just those from well-off backgrounds."