CELTIC Connections bosses have hit out at the UK government’s “underhand” visa system, which they say is stopping international artists coming to the city.

The festival, which comes to an end this weekend, is a celebration of folk, roots and world music featuring thousands of musicians. But Donald Shaw, the event’s director, said his job in attracting the very best to come to Glasgow was made harder by the Home Office’s immigration regime. 

He told the Glasgow Times: “The fact is that the artists that we're trying to entice have to go through this process where in some cases they're having to hand over bank statements, having to fill in five or six page documents or having to travel to other cities, queue up in offices, pay a lot of money for the pleasure of supposedly playing in a country where the audience wants to hear them.”

Shaw was speaking out after Boris Johnson claimed he was surprised to hear that the visa system was “complicated and extortionate”.

The Prime Minister was pressed on the matter in the Commons yesterday, by Glasgow North MP Patrick Grady.

Grady asked Johnson to give a message to artists that want to come to Celtic Connections and “share their talents but are put off by an over complicated, extortionate application process that signals they're not welcome?"

The Prime Minister told the SNP politician: "As he knows, this government has already instituted new measures to ensure that people of talent, who can contribute to this economy, can come without net or hindrance and I'm surprised that the director of the festival that he refers to is encountering any difficulties.”

Shaw was not convinced by the Prime Minister's response.

He said: “It really doesn't mention the fact that nothing has changed at all in terms of the artists application process. It's still extremely expensive and absolutely a hassle. But I think the bigger issue is this kind of underhand attitude towards what are quite high profile artists who are held in great respect in a lot of countries. These are award winning artists, and they're asked to fill in forms where they're treated with suspicion, as if they're coming here with ulterior motives and not to perform.

"It doesn't make our case any easier. “

He added: "These people are actually very happy in the countries they're living in. It's not like they're coming to try and escape, they're coming to perform for people who've never heard them before.”

Shaw said the festival had been engaging “with some pretty heavyweight projects from India and Pakistan” that were now on hold, in part, because of difficulties in obtaining visas.

Asked what Boris Johnson should see if he comes up for the last weekend of Celtic Connections, Shaw said: "Well if he came in a disguise, I'd I say a great show would be for him to come and see someone like Fatoumata Diawara who's playing in the Tramway.

“There'll be 1000 people and an audience made up of the African community who live in the southside of Glasgow along with Glasweisgans from the entire city welcoming those musicians. “

Speaking after Prime Minister’s Questions, Grady said: “Celtic Connections is an absolute highlight of Glasgow’s cultural scene. Nobody wants to look at the festival programme and wonder what might have been because of Tory visa rules.  

“We know too many artists are being put off from even applying to come to the UK because obtaining a visa is so expensive and bureaucratic - the hostile environment lives on. “