FURIOUS Lisa Nandy today admitted that Labour politicians were involved in talks with the Met about giving Taylor Swift a blue-light escort to Wembley.
But the Culture Secretary Secretary denied that Home Secretary Yvette Cooper and London Mayor Sadiq Khan personally pushed for a police escort for Swift herself.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy today admitted that Labour ministers were involved in talks with the Met about giving Taylor Swift a blue-light escort to Wembley[/caption]
Ms Nandy also insisted there was no connection between a handful of cabinet ministers receiving freebie tickets to watch the show and Swift receiving state-funded security.
Last night The Sun revealed that cops were reluctant to grant the pop star a VVIP service — which comes at a huge expense to the taxpayer.
However, senior cops agreed to it after personal interventions by Ms Cooper and Mr Khan.
VVIP protection is usually for senior royalty and politicians.
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Defending the move, Ms Nandy told Sky News: “When you have major events, whether in London or in other parts of the UK, the Home Secretary will be involved in a conversation where there is a security risk.
“I also know that she doesn’t have the power, nor would she use the power, to insist that any individual got the top level of private security arrangements.
“That is an operational matter for the police, not for the Government.”
PM Sir Keir Starmer and Mr Khan were among a handful of Cabinet Swifties who received free tickets for the Wembley gigs.
Sir Keir has offered to refund free tickets worth £4,000 – but he is not paying back the cost of four tickets for a show in June he attended with his wife Victoria.
On Sky News Ms Nandy rowed with presenter Kay Burley as she insisted ministers did not push for police protection to bag box seats to the show.
The Culture Secretary blasted: “Neither the Prime Minister nor the Home Secretary, nor the Mayor of London has the power to override the police on this matter.
“It is an operational decision for the police.
“Most of Sky News were at these events in these same boxes as well.
“You were there.”
Ms Burley hit back: “I paid for my tickets.
“I paid for mine up front eight months earlier. So please, don’t do that.”
Fired up Ms Nandy argued that as long as ministers declare their freebie tickets on the government register of interests, they should be allowed to enjoy them.
She said: “People can judge for themselves and people will judge for themselves. It’s fair that they do that.
“But the suggestion that the Home Secretary intervened and made a decision about security arrangements for Taylor Swift is simply not true.”
