Sir Keir Starmer last night refused to answer questions about the Taylor Swift furore.
The Prime Minister has faced a series of damaging stories over his backstage meeting with the pop star soon after ministers asked Scotland Yard to provide her with a royal-style escort.
He had already paid back the cost of two of the three sets of free tickets he received for her sellout Wembley shows this summer, after concerns were raised about the level of gifts and hospitality he was accepting.
Sir Keir was put on the spot for the first time this week by the Mail asking if he now regrets going to the concerts by Swift, whose hit songs include Shake It Off and Blank Space. But he simply dodged the matter entirely and went to the next question at his press conference in Berlin.
Last night former London mayoral candidate Susan Hall, who has called for an investigation into the pressure Government allegedly put on police to give Swift ‘VVIP’ treatment, told the Mail: ‘Does Keir have no shame? He won’t answer questions or take responsibility; he only wants free gear.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer speaking during a Civil Society reception at 10 Downing Street on October 17, 2024 in London
Sir Keir and his wife Victoria previously attended a Taylor Swift concert at Wembley on 21 June, during the singer’s first run of shows at the stadium this summer
Taylor Swift performs on stage during ‘Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour’ at Wembley Stadium on June 22, 2024 in London, England
‘He needs to come clean and allow an inquiry into how much political pressure Labour put on our police.’ Sir Keir’s silence came as it emerged that his fellow Labour leader Sadiq Khan faces a standards probe into his own Swift freebies. The London Mayor originally declared that the six tickets he received to see the superstar in August were worth £194 each.
But yesterday a spokesman admitted they were worth £500 each, putting their total value at £3,000.
Mr Khan had also declared the tickets 10 days late and claimed they were donated by the Football Association, when in fact they were for a box owned by the FA but paid for by private events company LS Events.
A spokesman for the mayor – who was also involved in talks that led to the Metropolitan Police agreeing to provide blue-light outriders for Swift – insisted: ‘Any gift accepted by the mayor is declared openly and transparently.
‘In this case there has been an administrative error. The updated declaration has been correctly submitted.’
But Tories on City Hall are likely to ask for the matter to be investigated by the Greater London Authority’s standards watchdog.
Neil Garratt, leader of the Conservatives on the London Assembly, told the BBC: ‘It’s pretty fishy that the mayor can’t get his story straight over who’s paying for his lavish hospitality and what they wanted in return.
‘He declared his Taylor Swift tickets late, perhaps hoping to avoid any questions, now as the facts emerge he’s changing his story with each new revelation. What is he hiding?’