Minister 'utterly rejects' accusations over Taylor Swift police escort

A police escort for Taylor Swift was not the result of “undue influence” from senior politicians attending the singer’s Wembley concerts, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said.

The decision was made by senior officers but the Home Secretary and Mayor of London were involved in talks about security around her sell-out shows over the summer, the Culture Secretary said.

The Shake It Off star was given a motorbike convoy to protect her on the way to Wembley despite initial police reservations, The Sun reported.

Senior Labour politicians including Sir Keir Starmer, London Mayor Sadiq Khan and Ms Nandy were given free tickets to Eras Tour shows, but the Culture Secretary insisted there was no link between the hospitality they received and the police protection for Swift.

“I utterly reject that there’s been any kind of wrongdoing or undue influence in this case,” she told Sky News.

She said the Home Secretary would be involved in discussions around the security risk, particularly given that Swift’s shows in Vienna were cancelled because of a terror threat.

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. The police made the decision. Ultimately, it is their decision, and nobody else can make it.”

The Sun reported that the Metropolitan Police’s special escort group had initially been reluctant to give the Cruel Summer singer the kind of protection normally reserved for senior