The government is expected to respond to accusations that it is using Form 696 to target grime artists, the BBC says.
Culture minister Matt Hancock is expected to meet with London Mayor Sadiq Khan to discuss the allegations and the form’s use in the capital. Promoters have long been expected to complete the form for events that will host "DJs and MCs", but new concerns have been raised that it is being used in a racist way to target grime musicians, echoing past accusations of the same nature which saw some questions dropped from the form in 2009.
The Metropolitan Police deny that the form targets any particular form of music or groups of people, but a BBC investigation found that Leicestershire Police still ask those filling out the form to tell them about the ethnic make-up of the audience and background of the music, a request that was removed from the Met’s version of the form in 2009.
Show cancellations on the basis of the form and police requests long dogged grime shows, with acts like Giggs and P Money among those who’ve had their shows pulled. P Money described the form as a "race thing" while Giggs has said in the past that the police need to work closely with promoters and musicians to stop shows being cancelled.
