It is understood that Sir Keir and his family talked with the pop star and her mother for around 10 minutes after he was invited to attend the Wembley gig on August 20, as first reported by The Sun. It comes amid questions over Government intervention in talks over the security for the concerts after Swift was given a taxpayer-funded police escort.
Earlier on Monday Downing Street had declined to confirm whether the Prime Minister met the singer at the sell-out show, but it is now understood that the meeting took place. The conversation centred around the Southport attack, and it is thought there was no discussion about security matters when they met. The tickets to the gig came from Universal Music and they are among the items the Prime Minister repaid earlier this month amid a row over freebies.
It emerged last week that London Mayor Sadiq Khan and Home Secretary Yvette Cooper were involved in talks over security for the gigs after which Swift was granted a blue-light escort — a type of protection usually reserved for royalty and politicians.
Downing Street has cited the terror threat faced by Swift in Vienna, which forced her to cancel gigs on the Austrian leg of her Eras tour, as one of the reasons the Government was involved in security talks for her London shows. Number 10 and the Met have insisted that the police force is operationally independent and decisions on policing are based on an assessment of risk based on the individual circumstances of a case.
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