London Mayor Faces Scrutiny as Ticket Blunder and Late Declarations Are Revealed

Sadiq Khan’s attendance at a Taylor Swift concert has come under scrutiny after it was revealed that the value of the free tickets he received was three times higher than initially reported. The Mayor of London was gifted six tickets for the August 15 Wembley gig, with the initial declaration stating their worth at £194 each. However, a spokesperson for the mayor later confirmed that each ticket was actually worth £500, meaning the total value of the gift was £3,000.

This discrepancy has prompted calls from the City Hall Conservatives for an investigation by the Greater London Authority’s standards watchdog. Khan has previously defended his registration of gifts, stating it was better to over-declare than under-declare. However, the delayed realisation of the mistake may fuel criticism, particularly as the correct details were not updated in the official City Hall register until much later.

In addition, it was revealed that Khan had been offered two sets of tickets for Taylor Swift’s concerts. Although he missed the June performance, he attended the August show in an FA-owned box. The tickets from June, mistakenly valued at £194 each, were incorrectly declared in the register. The tickets for the August show, worth £500 each, were purchased by LS Events, a production company with ties to City Hall.

This registration oversight adds to the controversy surrounding other high-profile figures, such as Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, who faced backlash over similar gifts. Khan, however, declined to follow Starmer’s lead in repaying the value of the tickets he received.

Further scrutiny surrounds the delayed declarations, as gifts and hospitality must be registered within 28 days. The late registrations of the Taylor Swift tickets have now been corrected, but questions remain about the administrative oversight. Other individuals involved in the gift process, including Khan’s aides, also received tickets, which were registered after the 28-day window had passed.

Khan has maintained that all gifts are declared in accordance with the rules, and the mayor’s spokesperson labelled the issue as a “simple case of human error.” Nevertheless, the ongoing investigation into the matter is likely to continue as the mayor faces additional questions over his handling of the gift registration process.