Sabrina Carpenter freebie ‘was right thing to do for my security,’ says Reeves

[dutchman]

Chancellor defends accepting tickets for American singer’s concert at O2 Arena



Rachel Reeves has said that accepting free tickets to a Sabrina Carpenter concert was the right thing to do for her security.

The Chancellor sat in a corporate box with a relative to watch the performance by the American pop singer, who performed at London’s O2 arena in March.

Ms Reeves attended the gig despite a row over ministers receiving free hospitality and clothing that engulfed the first few months of Sir Keir Starmer’s premiership.

Updated rules still allow ministers to take handouts as long as they are properly declared, although they are urged to take public perception into account.

During an interview with the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Ms Reeves was asked about reports in the i newspaper that she attended the concert.

She replied: “I went with a member of my family to see a concert a couple of weeks ago.

“I do now have security which means it’s not as easy as it would have been in the past to just sit in a concert, although probably a lot easier for everyone concerned.

“So look, I took those tickets to go with a member of my family. I think that was the right thing to do from a security aspect.”

Her defence echoes the Prime Minister’s justification for his ongoing use of a free hospitality box at Arsenal FC’s Emirates Stadium.

Sir Keir, a lifelong Arsenal fan, said last year that after he became Prime Minister he received security advice “that I can’t go into the stands”.

The Labour leader said if such arrangements were to be made, so much security would be needed “that it would cost the taxpayer a fortune”, and argued his use of a box therefore helped to save money.

On being asked whether she paid for the tickets, Ms Reeves said: “These weren’t tickets that you could pay for, so there wasn’t a price.

“Obviously, there was a price, but they weren’t tickets you were able to buy.”

[rebbonk]

Just because the 'rules' allow it, it doesn't mean it is right.

Reeves comes across as a grabber and taker, certainly not a giver!

[dutchman]

Reeves won't take more free tickets after backlash



Rachel Reeves has said she will not accept free concert tickets again, following a backlash over her attendance at a Sabrina Carpenter gig.

She has repeatedly defended her decision to accept tickets worth £600 for her and a family member to watch the American singer from a box at London's O2 arena.

She argued it was a way to continue doing "normal everyday things" with her family whilst respecting her security needs as chancellor.

But in an a shift in her stance, she has now said she would not accept free tickets, adding: "I do understand perceptions".

Speaking to ITV, she said she was unable to buy regular tickets for security reasons and had been offered the box tickets by AEG, which owns the arena.

She did not confirm which member of her family attended the concert with her, but added that she faced a "balancing act in my job to try and be a good parent" alongside her security needs she now faces in her Treasury job.

"I felt I was doing the right thing, but I do understand perceptions," she said, adding: "I recognise the feeling here. I have no intention of doing that again."

She added she would continue to accept free hospitality if it was "something that I need to do in my job, like I'm going to a formal dinner or a formal event".

"But, look, I went with a family member. I'm not intending to take concert tickets in the future."

Speaking to ITV on Wednesday, Reeves said she understood her acceptance of the tickets would look "weird" to some people, adding: "I totally get that".

"But I do want to carry on doing the things that normal parents do with their kids, and that gave me the opportunity to do that,"

Speaking at a news conference on Wednesday, she said she had been advised it would be "better for security reasons" for her to watch the concert from a box.

"That's the reason why I did that, rather than just being in normal seats, which to be honest, for me and my family, would have been a lot nicer and a lot easier".

She added that she was "not personally a huge Sabrina Carpenter fan, being a 46 year-old woman".