The Times of London reports that while traveling to Wembley Stadium for her record-breaking Eras tour, Taylor Swift, 34, received a level of protection usually reserved for senior cabinet ministers and members of the royal family.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper and London Mayor Sadiq Khan both requested the taxpayer-funded heightened protection during her London stop. However, Lord Hermer KC, the government’s top lawyer, intervened after Scotland Yard said that this level of “VVIP” protection would breach its long-standing protocols.
Related: Why Does Taylor Swift Keep Stopping Her Shows Mid-Song? It’s Actually a Great Lesson in Leadership.
The protection was eventually secured, and there is growing public outrage that officials received free tickets to the show.
According to several reports, the driving force behind the show of force was Swift’s mother and manager, Andrea. After the failed bomb plot in Vienna and a horrific stabbing attack at a Taylor-themed dance class, Andrea threatened to cancel the Wembley shows unless the highest levels of security were met.
Per Deadline, once the security was lined up, Swift played 15 dates in June and August that reportedly boosted UK spending by almost $1.3 billion.
