Taylor Swift row Can Labour shake off questions over police escort to concerts?

Ministers are struggling to shake off claims that they pressed the Metropolitan police into giving Taylor Swift a motorbike escort as she travelled to Wembley for her sold-out summer shows.

- Aletha Adu

Downing Street and Sadiq Khan, the London mayor, have repeatedly insisted the Met makes decisions independently from politicians. How much of a problem is this for the government?

What's the background?

For weeks, senior Labour politicians have been dogged by criticism over the gifts and hospitality declared by Keir Starmer and other frontbenchers. The prime minister declared more free tickets and gifts than any other major party leader in recent times, with his total now topping £100,000, including £4,000 of hospitality at a Taylor Swift concert and £698 worth of Coldplay tickets in Manchester.

It looked as though Labour had managed to finally draw a line under the accusations with a vow to close a loophole that meant different rules applied to what ministers were required to declare.

But last week the Sun reported that Khan and the home secretary, Yvette Cooper, were involved in talks over providing extra security for Swift's sell-out summer Eras tour shows at Wembley, despite initial reservations from the police. The force is reported to have thought such a move would breach its long-standing protocols.