Taylor Swift 'request for armed police guard for Wembley gigs was refused by Met'

Taylor Swift requested an armed police guard for her Wembley gigs but the Met refused, it has been reported.

The US star was granted a blue-light escort for her sell-out shows in London on her The Eras tour after a political row over the taxpayer funded concession.

Labour politicians including Home Secretary Yvette Cooper were accused of pressuring the Met Police to provide the escort, normally reserved for the likes of royalty and the prime minister.

The US singer’s mother Andrea negotiated directly with Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer’s then-chief of staff Sue Gray over the protection.

A source told the Sun: “She originally requested an armed guard. She may have assumed cops were armed.”

Swift’s mother had threatened to pull the shows ­following a foiled suicide bomb plot at her Austria gigs.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper and London Mayor Sadiq Khan were involved in discussions over security for the singer but insisted that the Met alone made the final operational decision on how to police the gigs.

Sir Keir Starmer was given a free ticket to one of the Swift concerts and met her backstage in August.

He denied the ticket was a ‘thank you’ for the escort but later paid back the money.

Asked if there was a conflict of interest the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “No, on the basis that the decision making in this case was for the Met (police) operationally and independently.

“However, the Government is clear that it is entirely routine for discussions to take place around events of this scale and magnitude to ensure that they take place safely and smoothly.

“But the bottom line is that the decisions in this case are for the Met and the Met alone.”

The Met said: “Our decision-making is based on a ­thorough assessment of threat, risk and harm and the circumstances of each case.”