BELFAST HIP-HOP GROUP Kneecap have been granted leave by the Belfast High Court to proceed with a judicial review after the UK government blocked them from receiving a £15,000 (€17,700) funding award.  

The band claimed that denying them the grant discriminated against them on grounds of nationality and political opinion. 

The group had been awarded money from a government fund called the Music Export Growth Scheme, which is jointly-funded by the British Phonographic Industry and the UK government. 

Nearly 70 artists had applied for funding from the body, which came to a total of £1.6 million. Kneecap were approved funding of £15,000 (€17,700).

However in February of this year, the UK’s Minister for Business and Trade Kemi Badenoch stepped in to reverse the approval of funding to the group. 

Speaking to The Journal last February, a spokesperson for Badenoch said: “We fully support freedom of speech, but it’s hardly surprising that we don’t want to hand out UK taxpayers’ money to people that oppose the United Kingdom itself.”

The band instructed their legal representation, Phoenix Law – a human rights law firm based in Belfast – to issue proceedings against the British government on their behalf.

Darragh Mackin, one of the group’s legal team, welcomed the court’s decision and said that the decision to concede “spoke volumes”.

“The government’s decision to withdraw funding is not only an attack on the freedom of expression and political opinion, but it is indeed an attack on identity, a cornerstone of the Good Friday Agreement.”

He said that they are looking forward to “an early hearing, listed for later this year”.

The case will be heard on 14 November.

The UK Department of Business and Trade has been contacted for comment.