Tories continue pressure over Swift concert escort

“It is reported the police decided initially that no special escort was needed. Apparently the home secretary, the attorney general, the mayor of London and, inevitably, [the PM’s former chief of staff] Sue Gray then pressured the police into changing their mind and providing one, violating the police’s operational independence.

“We now know that one of the many freebies the prime minister has eagerly scrounged for himself were tickets and a backstage pass to that very concert.”

He went on to list other Labour ministers who received free tickets, saying: “What were they doing, having a cabinet meeting at the concert?

“Does the leader [Powell] understand how bad this looks? The government initially denied the Met were pressured, which now appears to be untrue.”

Responding to a heckle, Powell said: “No, I wasn’t there actually.”

She also pointed to the Swift shows generating £1bn for the UK economy this summer, adding: “Surely this is something that people want to welcome.”

She strongly rejected suggestions the Met’s operational independence had been compromised, saying “these issues are totally taken operationally by the police”.

Powell added that Swift had been “subject to a very serious threat to her safety only a few days before coming to the UK”.

The singer’s shows in Vienna were cancelled because of a threat of a terrorist attack.