No 10 declines to confirm whether Keir Starmer met Taylor Swift at a London concert

15 October 2024 , 20:03

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No 10 declines to confirm whether Keir Starmer met Taylor Swift at a London concert

PM’s official spokesperson denies any conflict of interest and says decision to offer pop star VIP protection was made by police

Downing Street has refused to say whether Keir Starmer met Taylor Swift at one of her London concerts, while denying any link between the prime minister’s free tickets and the decision to grant the pop star VIP police protection while in London.

Asked if Starmer had met Swift on 20 August, when he and his family saw her perform at Wembley stadium, the prime minister’s official spokesperson declined to comment, saying any meetings would be recorded in the official government register, which is updated every few months. 

No 10 has faced repeated questions over the decision to give Swift and her entourage a police convoy by the Special Escort Group (SEG), a specialist unit of the Metropolitan police usually reserved for the royal family and senior politicians.

Downing Street says the move, which came after the pop star pulled out of three planned concerts in Vienna when police foiled a terror plot, was an operational matter for police.

However, the police decision was reportedly changed after representations from Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, and Yvette Cooper, the home secretary, about the economic repercussions if the huge concerts were called off. 

Starmer’s spokesperson did, however, vehemently reject the suggestion that No 10 may have influenced the police decision in part owing to the PM being given four tickets to the 20 August concert by her record company, valued at £2,800. Earlier this month, Starmer paid back £6,000 of gifts and hospitality, including the tickets.

Asked if there was a potential conflict of interest, the spokesperson said: “Operational decisions are for the Met. That’s the bottom line.”

Questioned on the idea of the tickets being given as a thank you for the policing decision, they said: “I completely reject that characterisation because it’s ultimately up to the police to take operational decisions in relation to the security of these major events.”

However, they did not deny that No 10 potentially had had conversations with Swift’s team, saying “conversation and dialogue” about such security matters was completely routine.

Among the donations Starmer repaid was £598 for two tickets to Swift’s Wembley concert five days earlier, paid for by the Football Association, which owns the stadium. He did not attend this concert, with the register of MPs’ interests saying these were “offered to and accepted by family members”.

Cooper also attended one of Swift’s Wembley concerts with her husband, the former Labour minister Ed Balls, who was offered tickets by the star’s record company.

Emma Davis

Deputy Editor