A Cabinet minister has shaken off calls for an inquiry into the Taylor Swift freebies row, telling MPs: “I am glad the show went on.” Pat McFadden, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, pointed to the terror attack threat against the US pop star’s Eras Tour in Austria as he defended the police escort provided to Swift in London. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer attended a sell-out Swift show for free and met the Shake It Off singer after Government involvement in discussions over her security, which saw her given a taxpayer-funded police escort while performing at Wembley.
Conservative MP Bob Blackman (Harrow East) told the House of Commons: “The provision of blue light escorts is clearly a matter of operational policing. “But last week my colleagues on the London Assembly wrote to (Mr McFadden) asking for an inquiry into the provision of tickets to politicians, including the Labour Mayor of London, and the pressure that was then applied to the Metropolitan Police to provide an escort to Taylor Swift. “So could he actually have that inquiry, that review, so we can see what happened and make sure that if mistakes were made, they can be rectified and it doesn’t happen again.
” Taylor Swift performing at her first London concert at Wembley Stadium (Ian West/PA) “But I have to tell him that I am glad that the person who is currently the biggest global pop star in the world was able to play in London, particularly following the threat of a terrorist attack to h.