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Top Labour politicians ‘pressed’ cops to give Taylor Swift royal-style escort to Wembley gig – then landed free tickets
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TOP Labour politicians have been accused of pressing police to give Taylor Swift a royalty-style blue-light escort to Wembley.
Cops were reluctant to grant her the VVIP service — which comes at a huge expense to the taxpayer.
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Swift’s mum and manager, Andrea, is said to have threatened to axe the August shows unless a police convoy was provided.
It followed a foiled suicide bomb plot in Austria the previous week.
Senior cops agreed to it after personal interventions by Home Secretary Yvette Cooper and London Mayor Sadiq Khan.
VVIP protection is usually for senior royalty and politicians.
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Even Prince Harry would not get the same treatment after losing a court case over the downgrading of his security.
The Special Escort Group of motorcyclists has a strict policy of not being used for private individuals.
It is understood that chiefs opposed providing protection for billionaire Swift, 34, and her entourage.
Revelations over the security wrangle come after Labour politicians have been criticised for devouring freebies.
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PM Sir Keir Starmer and Mr Khan were among those who received free tickets for the Wembley gigs.
Ex-Met commander John O’Connor insisted: “Police should be left alone to make operational decisions.
Starmer is A-grade hypocrite… he preaches about tough times while millionaire buys his wife clothes
“This interference creates a perception there is no such thing as a free lunch or concert tickets. The Met is unable to provide security for Prince Harry but he must be in at least as much danger as Taylor Swift.
Terror fears
“The SEG is dedicated to the very serious business of protecting the Royal Family, senior government ministers and foreign heads of state. This is an abuse of an elite service.”
Three of Swift’s shows were axed in Vienna over fears of terrorism.
An intelligence assessment was then carried out by UK police and MI5 but there was no information of a threat to the US star’s Wembley shows.
But sources said her mum demanded a police escort for the journey to and from Wembley from a hotel.
The SEG has a specific role and do not provide security cover for any private individuals, no matter how important
A source
One source said: “There was a great deal of concern about security in the Swift camp and they were threatening to call off the shows unless there was a police escort.
“The SEG has a specific role and do not provide security cover for any private individuals, no matter how important.”
After the SEG’s initial refusal, it's understood the office of Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley intervened.
Sources say Ms Cooper stressed to the Met that any cancellation would be economically damaging and embarrassing.
But SEG controllers are said to have remained steadfast.
Escort will divide opinion
THE special police escort provided for Taylor Swift will divide opinion.
On the one hand, the Home Secretary and London Mayor deserve congratulations for helping to ensure the US singer’s concerts went ahead in August.
But the flip side of the coin entailed sacrificing the principles and protocols of the Met’s elite Special Escort Group.
Their role is to serve the state and provide professional - and often armed - mobile protection for Royalty and senior Government ministers.
Using them as traffic assistants for a pop star denigrates their purpose.
It was understandable that Taylor Swift and her mother should have been alarmed by the events in Vienna and the cancellation of three shows there.
However, the concerts could easily have gone ahead there and I strongly suspect they would have done so in this country.
The Vienna suspects had all been rounded up and the bomb-making material found was crude and unviable.
There was no intelligence of any threat to Swift’s London concerts.
So at the risk of inflaming Swifties, it feels to me like a pop princess, or her mother, believed they were too important to be caught up in traffic like mere commoners.
The politicians did well to pamper the Swifts - but at what cost?
A source said: “At this point, Mayor Khan stepped in and contacted the Met.
“The Mayor had apparently been contacted by the Home Secretary’s office and Swift’s management.
“The involvement of the Home Secretary and Mayor effectively amounts to applying pressure.
“The SEG finally agreed to make an exception to their policy and the Vienna terrorist arrests were used to justify the decision.
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But there was no specific threat to Swift and the SEG were not happy about being used as her private bodyguards. They feel their position and role has been undermined.”
None of the SEG officers was armed as they normally are for official State duties.
Ordinary police motorcyclists were used at Swift’s Edinburgh and Cardiff gigs.
She thanked the police for helping her Wembley gigs to go ahead.
She said: “We commend the police for their work to ensure these events went off smoothly and safely.”
'Operationally independent'
The Met said: “The Met is operationally independent. Our decision-making is based on a thorough assessment of threat, risk and harm and circumstances of each case.”
A Home Office source said: “This was an operational decision for the police. Of course, when events of this scale take place you would expect the Government, the Mayor’s office and the Met Police to work together to ensure they can be held safely and securely.”
A spokesman for the Mayor said: “We don’t comment on the Met’s security arrangements.”
PM Sir Keir has offered to refund free tickets worth £4,000 that he received for Swift’s August concerts.
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He is not paying back the cost of four tickets for a show in June he attended with his wife Victoria.
Swifties who got freebies
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Plus 4 more Labour MPs
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