The Tory leadership frontrunner has issued a list of key questions the Home Secretary must answer.
Yvette Cooper granted Taylor Swift with VIP security during her Wembley tour dates (Image: Getty)
Tory leadership frontrunner James Cleverly has said Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has questions to answer after it emerged she personally intervened to grant VIP police protection to Taylor Swift for her recent London tour dates.
Last night it was reported that top Labour politicians including Ms Cooper and London Mayor Sadiq Khan pressed the police to grant the American singer the hugely expensive blue-light escorts to Wembley stadium during her stay.
Senior officers only gave in following pressure from the two top Labour politicians, with Sadiq Khan and Keir Starmer then going on to receive free tickets to her Wembley show.
Ex-Met chief John O’Connor has blasted the move, warning: “Police should be left alone to make operational decisions.”
Now James Cleverly, Ms Cooper’s predecessor, has set out a number of questions she must answer, including whether she did personally intervene on the matter.
Ms Swift got VVIP police escorts during her Wembley dates (Image: Getty)
He also demands to know whether she or any other minister spoke to Met chief Sir Mark Rowley about Ms Swift’s protection detail, and what advice they gave.
He adds: “Did you or other ministers receive the offer of hospitality before or after decisions were made about Ms Swift’s protection?
“Did you or your ministers discuss with the Met Police about other requests for protection and use of [Special Escort Group (SEG) motorcyclists].
“The role of the SEG is to serve and provide professional mobile protection for Royalty, senior Government ministers, and at times guests of Government and state.”
He spat: “It is not for use by private individuals or as traffic assistants for popstars.”
The Tory leadership frontrunner says Ms Cooper has questions to answer (Image: Getty)
This morning Lisa Nandy was left red-faced as Kay Burley slapped her down over the ongoing Labour freebie row.
Ms Nandy said: “Most of Sky News was at these events in the same boxes as well to be completely fair.
Kay Burley interjected to ask who, to which Ms Nandy responded: “You were there.” Ms Burley said: “I paid for my tickets.”
Ms Nandy said: “He’s [Starmer] paying for his tickets.”
The presenter added that he “eventually paid for them”.
She said: “I paid for mine upfront eight months earlier so please don’t do that. Who else went apart from me from Sky?”
Ms said: “I went and I’ve declared that in line with the ministerial code.”
The presenter added: “But you don’t work for Sky.”
The Culture Secretary insisted that a police escort for the global superstar was not the result of “undue influence” from senior politicians who attended the concert.
