Taylor Swift’s mum-manager pressed the Met Police to give the singer a blue-light escort to Wembley after the foiled plot on her Austria show, reports suggested.
Lisa Nandy grilled on Taylor Swift police escort by Burley
Lisa Nandy has clashed with Sky News presenter Kay Burley after the Cabinet Minister suggested the presenter took a freebie to see Taylor Swift.
The row happened while Ms Nandy was being grilled on reports that Sir Keir Starmer and Yvette Cooper intervened to press the Met Police to give the singer a blue-light escort to Wembley for her shows in the summer.
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.”
A police escort for Taylor Swift was not the result of “undue influence” from senior politicians attending the singer’s Wembley concerts, Ms Nandy insisted
The decision was made by senior officers but the Home Secretary and Mayor of London were involved in talks about security around her sell-out shows over the summer, the Culture Secretary said.
Senior Labour politicians including Sir Keir Starmer, London Mayor Sadiq Khan and Ms Nandy were given free tickets to Eras Tour shows, but the Culture Secretary insisted there was no link between the hospitality they received and the police protection for Swift.
Downing Street announced last week that Sir Keir had paid back more than £6,000 worth of gifts and hospitality he received since entering Number 10 after a row over ministerial donations.
The Prime Minister is covering the cost of six Taylor Swift tickets, four to the races and a clothing rental agreement with a high-end designer favoured by his wife, Lady Victoria Starmer.