Lucy Powell: Conservative MPs obsessing over Taylor Swift concerts need to ‘shake it off’

Conservatives obsessing over Labour MPs’ receipt of Taylor Swift tickets need to “shake it off”, a cabinet minister has said.

Lucy Powell, the leader of the House of Commons, told MPs that Swift’s concerts generated “£1 billion to the UK visitor economy this summer” and noted a Conservative peer’s view of the row as “ludicrous”.

Powell said: “The Taylor Swift concerts generated £1 billion to the UK visitor economy this summer. Surely this is something that people want to welcome.”

She added: “He might want to read what the Conservative peer, Andrew Lloyd Webber, said in The Times today. He said the continued attention on this concert by the [Conservative Party] is ludicrous.”

“I think it’s about time they shake it off, quite honestly.”

The comments came after shadow leader of the House, Chris Philp, pushed for clarity about whether the government pressured the Metropolitan Police to provide Swift with a police escort.

Philip said: “Will the leader arrange a statement on the special police escort for Taylor Swift? 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, 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. And it wasn’t just him.”

He added: “Does the leader understand how bad this looks? The government initially denied the Met were pressured, which now appears to be untrue. So will the government finally come clean and tell the truth about exactly what pressure was put on the Met and by whom?”

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