RACHEL Reeves yesterday defended accepting free tickets to a Sabrina Carpenter gig, claiming it was for security reasons.
The Chancellor said she went to the O2 Arena concert with a family member and insisted it was “the right thing to do” given her security needs.
She told the BBC: “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.”
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.”
Reports of Ms Reeves’ enjoyment of corporate hospitality earlier this month, said to have been provided by AEG, sparked a backlash from Labour MPs unhappy with welfare cuts.
It also comes after Labour faced growing scrutiny over ministers accepting freebies – with Sir Keir Starmer and other Cabinet figures previously blasted for taking Taylor Swift tickets and luxury gifts.
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