Labour ministers accepted so many free Taylor Swift tickets they could have held a Cabinet meeting atone of her Wembley gigs, a senior Tory joked today.
Chris Philp mocked ministers as he demanded the government ‘come clean’ over the arrangement of a police escort to take the country-pop megastar to her London concerts in August.
There has been intense scrutiny over the role of senior Labour figures – including Sir Keir’s ex-chief of staff Sue Gray – after Swift was given a taxpayer-funded police escort during her sell-out concerts.
Speaking in the Commons this morning, shadow Commons leader Mr Philp asked for a ministerial statement on the row, in an attempt to embarrass the government.
‘It is reported the police decided initially that no special escort was needed. Apparently the Home Secretary, the Attorney General, the Mayor of London and, inevitably, Sue Gray, then pressured the police into changing their mind and providing one, violating the police’s operational independence,’ he told MPs.
‘We now know the one of the many freebies the Prime Minister has eagerly scrounged for himself was tickets and a backstage pass to that very concert.
‘And it wasn’t just him: the Home Secondary, the Science Secretary, the Culture Secretary, Health Secretary, Education Secretary, Chief Secretary (to the Treasury), Schools Minister and the Prime Minister’s PPS all had free tickets too.
‘What were they doing, having a Cabinet meeting at the concert? Does the leader understand how bad this looks?’
‘The government initially denied the met were pressure pressure which now appears to be untrue so will the government finally come clean and tell the truth about exactly what pressure was put on the Met, and by whom?’
Commons Leader Lucy Powell replied: ‘He raises the Taylor Swift concerts, inevitably.’
Ms Powell, responding to a heckle, said: ‘No, I wasn’t there actually.
‘The Taylor Swift concerts generated £1 billion for the UK visitor economy this summer. Surely this is something that people want to welcome.
‘And perhaps, I know he’s interested in quoting other people, he might want to read what the Conservative peer Andrew Lloyd Webber said in The Times today.
‘He said the continued attention on this concert by the party opposite is ludicrous.
‘I think it’s about time they Shake It Off.’
The PM – once dubbed ‘Mr Rules’ following his fierce criticism of Tory ‘sleaze’ – received free tickets and hospitality, worth £2,800, to one of those gigs on 20 August from the US pop star’s record label.
This week it was revealed Sir Keir and his family also enjoyed a 10-minute meeting with Swift while they attended the concert.
But No10 today denied there was a perceived conflict of interest over Sir Keir attending the show and meeting the mega-star after the Government got involved in talks about her security.
Meanwhile, in an update to the MPs’ register of interests published later, it was revealed Science and Technology Secretary Peter Kyle had also been among a slew of top Labour ministers to have accepted free tickets to one of Swift’s Wembley gigs.
He received tickets and hospitality for himself and a guest, worth £292 each, to the 15 August concert from the Football Association.
The PM and his family spoke with the pop star and her mother, Andrea, for 10 minutes at the 20 August show.
It is understood their talks were focused solely focused on the Southport stabbings in July, which happened at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class.
The PM and the pop star had no discussion about the singer’s security in London while they met at her Wembley gig, according to No10 sources.
Sir Keir was dragged into the row over Swift’s VIP police protection amid claims that Ms Gray, his former top aide, negotiated directly with Andrea over security issues.
The Met Police are reported to have initially held reservations about providing the singer with a taxpayer-funded motorbike convoy.
But it has been revealed how Swift was eventually given a blue-light escort by Scotland Yard following interventions by top Labour ministers.
Earlier this month, the PM announced he would cover the cost of around £6,000 worth of gifts and hospitality he received since entering office amid a fierce row over his various freebies.
Among the declarations he said he would pay back were the four tickets to see Swift at Wembley, which were received on August 20 from Universal Music Group.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has said ‘many’ ministers were ‘lucky’ to receive tickets to Taylor Swift concerts, and she is ‘not quite sure’ how a conflict of interest would arise over her accepting them.
Asked on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme about free tickets to the summer gigs, she said: ‘I know many of us were very lucky to receive those tickets. It’s a real privilege and I completely recognise how fortunate I’ve been in doing so.’
Asked about a potential conflict of interest and Cabinet ministers accepting freebies, she said: ‘I’m not quite sure, in the case that you’re describing, how a conflict of interest would arise, but I am aware, as a member of the Cabinet, that it is important I follow everything that’s asked of me in terms of declarations both as an MP, through the register of members’ interests, but also my responsibilities under the ministerial code.
‘And I do everything I can to make sure that I am respecting that, honouring that and fulfilling my obligations.’
