Taylor Swift is the unlikely cause of a political storm for Keir Starmer, whose government alleged gave the US pop star VVIP treatment during her Eras Tour concerts in London, with sources in his office now confirming that the UK prime minister also met her during one of her massive gigs.
A section of the media and the opposition Conservatives have been hammering Starmer over this for weeks now, which is part of the larger freebies and donations row facing the Labour government.
Watch: UK PM Keir Starmer Repays More Than £6,000 In Gifts After Donations Row
The Guardian reported on Tuesday (Oct 15) citing No 10, Downing Street sources that Starmer indeed met Swift at the backstage of a concert, a day after his government decided to grant her a so-called ‘blue light’ police escort. An official spokesperson, however, denied that tickets that Starmer and family got for the concerts were a ‘thank you’ gift.
According to the report, Starmer and his family met Swift and her mother Andrea for 10 minutes backstage at Wembley Stadium on August 20. They talked about the stabbing incident at a Taylor Swift-themed children’s party that left three kids dead, and sparked off a series of racially charged riots in July.
But the sources who spoke to The Guardian said Starmer did not discuss the police motorcade convoy that had been given to Swift and her entourage.
The prime minister’s office has maintained that the decision to offer such protection to Swift was an operational matter taken by Scotland Yard, the UK’s police department.
The report comes amid initial refusal from Starmer’s office to confirm if he had met Swift.
Starmer was under pressure to share details of his brush-by with Swift after The Sun and others reported it, after he was invited to the concert at Wembley stadium on August 16 along with family by Universal Music.
As required by parliament rules, Starmer declared that he got the tickets worth £2,800 for the concert. He later coughed up the money for it, after massive criticism that he had been accepting such freebies worth thousands of pounds.
Taylor Swift VIP treatment in London. Why is it controversial?
The issue is the decision by authorities to provide Swift a police convoy by the Special Escort Group or SEG. The elite group of the Metropolitan police was apparently brought in for Swift’s security because she pulled out of her scheduled concerts in Vienna following a foiled Islamic State-inspired terror attack plot there.
According to reports, Met Police was not interested in giving such treatment, but the decision was taken anyway after London Mayor Sadiq Khan and home secretary Yvette Cooper made representations about the negative economic fallout if Swift cancelled the London tour. Sue Gray, the now-former chief of staff of Starmer, was involved in the preparations, and Swift’s mother Andrea personally coordinated the security details provided to her, claimed the reports.
As the controversy mounted, a spokersperson for Starmer, while not denying that his office may have had ‘conversation and dialogue’ with Swift’s team, characterised it as ‘completely routine’.
Starmer’s appetite for ‘freebies’ is becoming a political liability for Labour
As the controversies mounted over Starmer accepting gifts, donations and freebies, the UK PM repaid £598 for two tickets to Swift’s Wembley concert, which had earlier been paid for by the Football Association that also owns the stadium.
Oddly enough, records showed that Starmer did not attend the concert, but his wife did.
The freebie culture, however, is nothing new in British politics. The previous Tory regime had been accused of taking gifts worth hundreds of thousands of pounds, and giving Covid pandemic-related contracts to Conservative cronies and friends.
But the problem is, Labour is expected to know and do better, having won this year’s elections on the promise that it would be more in touch with the common folk, and a commitment to rein in the cost of living crisis in the UK.
(With inputs from agencies)