Taylor Swift’s police escort during her Wembley Stadium concerts in London this summer was approved after pressure from the UK government’s top lawyer, The Times of London reports. Following a furor over government figures receiving free tickets to see Swift perform on her record-breaking Eras tour, the newspaper reports that Home Secretary Yvette Cooper and London mayor Sadiq Khan both urged the Metropolitan Police to give Swift taxpayer-funded heightened protection during her visit to the capital. The Times reports that the Metropolitian Police warned that such VVIP protection would breach long-standing protocols: such a service is normally available only to senior cabinet ministers and members of the royal family. It reports that the government’s senior lawyer, attorney-general Lord Harmer KC, was recruited to put extra pressure on the police force. Swift played 15 dates in June and August with claims the tour boosted UK spending by almost £1 billion ($1.3B).

Source: The Times October 14, 2024 05:19 UTC