British tabloids have dubbed it as Taylorgate, the latest chapter in the scandal of personal gifts or freebies from the Keir Starmer Government. According to The Sun, the premier and other top Labour officials (from Home Secretary Yvette Cooper to London Mayor Sadiq Khan) may have received free tickets to her Wembley concert in exchange for providing the American singer with a "blue-light motorcade" escort from Scotland Yard, a treatment usually reserved for high-ranking politicians and the royal family.
Conservative Susan Hall, head of the London Assembly Police Committee, has called for an official investigation to determine if there may have been a "conflict of interest." A spokesperson from Downing Street had to intervene in the controversy and ensure that providing an escort to Taylor Swift was "an operational decision" by Scotland Yard and not the Government's.
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According to The Sun, the granting of an official escort at public expense (a privilege denied even to Prince Harry when he visits the UK) may have been directly negotiated by Taylor Swift's mother, Andrea, with then-Starmer's Chief of Staff, Sue Gray, who was dismissed from her position over a week ago.
According to the London tabloid, the Eras Tour organization required police protection for Swift after her concerts in Austria were canceled for security reasons and fears of a terrorist attack. The request was met with reservations by police commanders and even prompted the intervention of Attorney General Lord Richard Simon Hermer, who has not publicly recommended to the Government.
Keir Starmer received four free tickets for the concert on August 20, although Downing Street denied they were given as a "thank you" for providing police escort to the singer. The value of the tickets is among the 7,000 euros refunded by the premier following the freebies scandal (it is estimated that in his four years as Labour leader, he has received the equivalent of 120,000 euros in gifts from donors, from suits to designer glasses).
Meanwhile, Scotland Yard has stated that the decision to provide a "blue-light escort" is made after a brief assessment of "the threat, risks, and circumstances in each case."