Sky News Kay Burley blasted Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy over her assertation she had enjoyed complimentary tickets to Taylor Swift proclaiming I paid for mine as the Labour freebie row rolls on.
Nandy was appearing on Burleys Sky News programme today to rebut claims the Home Office had intervened to grant the American singer police escorts during her sell out shows in London this summer.
The Metropolitan Police was reportedly reluctant to grant the singer, 34, a taxpayer-funded blue-light convoy to her sell-out Wembley show - a service usually served for prime ministers, senior royals and top diplomats.
But Home Secretary Yvette Cooper and London Mayor Sadiq Khan reportedly stepped in to ensure the pop princess was guarded by the Special Escort Group, amid security fears over a failed suicide bomb plot at Swifts Austria gig in August.
Meanwhile, 10 top Labour Party members - which included the Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, London Mayor Sadiq Khan, and Health Secretary Wes Streeting - bagged free tickets to Swifts gigs, sparking a fierce backlash.
Sky News Kay Burley (right) blasted Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy (left) over her assertation she had enjoyed complimentary tickets to Taylor Swift proclaiming I paid for mine
Labour has been engulfed in a Taylor Swift freebie row in recent weeks
Senior Labour figures - including PM Sir Keir Starmer - were given free tickets to Swifts show. Sir Keir is pictured with wife Victoria at a Taylor Swift concert at Wembley in June
Pictured are officers protecting a convoy carrying King Charles, the Princess of Wales and Queen Camilla back in May 2021
And as a row rumbles on over why the force was used to protect Swift but not Prince Harry, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy this morning insisted the police escort for the Shake It Off star was not the result of undue influence from top Labour politicians.
Ms Nandy - who was among high-profile figures from the party to receive free tickets to Swifts Eras tour show - said there was no link between the hospitality they received and Swifts police protection.
I utterly reject that theres been any kind of wrongdoing or undue influence in this case, she told Sky News.
The Culture Secretary went on to unsuccesfully accuse Burley of benefitting from free tickets in a fiery exchange.
She said: Most of Sky News was at these events in these same boxes, to be completely fair.
Burley replied: Who was there?
Nandy asserted: You were there Kay..
I paid for my tickets, snapped Burley.
Well hes paying for his tickets, protested Nandy, in reference to Keir Starmer belatedly paying for his experience last month.
Burley retorted: Eventually paying for his tickets. I paid for mine upfront eight months earlier. So please dont try that.
Nandy then said: Your suggestion is that they shouldnt be going. My point is as long as they declare it and are absolutely upfront about what happened, people can judge for themselves, but the suggestion the Home Secretary intervened and made a decision about security arrangements for Taylor Swift is simply not true.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper (pictured) and London Mayor Sadiq Khan reportedly stepped in to ensure Ms Swift received an exemption from the forces Special Escort Group
London Mayor Sadiq Khan also bagged free tickets. He is pictured unveiling Swiftie Steps and new murals at Wembley Park in June ahead of Taylor Swifts first concert in London
The London mayor received six tickets from the Football Association to attend one of Taylor Swifts sell-out Wembley Stadium concerts in August this year
Ms Nandy added: When you have major events, whether in London or in other parts of the UK, the Home Secretary will be involved in a conversation where there is a security risk.
I also know that she doesnt have the power, nor would she use the power, to insist that any individual got the top level of private security arrangements. That is an operational matter for the police, not for the Government.
The police made the decision. Ultimately, it is their decision, and nobody else can make it.
Its been a bruising day of interviews for Ms Nandy who was also slammed by Moneysaving expert Martin Lewis who accused the government of taking money out of the hands of pensioners following its decision to slash winter fuel payments.
Labours frightening decision to means test the subsidy previously paid to all pensioners will see 10.7 million poorer older people lose out on the benefit, according to a shocking report published last night.
Of these, 23 per cent are living in or just above the poverty line, while 800,000 are aged over 80 and 1.1million are living with a disability.
The savings guru addressed the report on Good Morning Britain earlier today, before launching into a heated exchange with Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy.
A furious Mr Lewis told the Cabinet Minister there will be hundreds of thousands of the poorest pensioners going without the benefit as he accused the government of taking money out of their hands.
Moneysaving expert Martin Lewis has slammed the Government for taking money out of the hands of pensioners during a furious rant on Good Morning Britain
Speaking to Culture secretary Lisa Nandy (pictured), Mr Lewis slammed the Government for taking money out of the hands of pensioners
He said: You have to accept there will be many hundreds of thousands of the poorest pensioners under £11,400 income you will not reach this year.
You are taking money out of their hands.
Mr Lewis continued: So lets be honest you are willing to accept that collateral damage of hundreds of thousands of poorest pensioners many with dementia not getting the winter fuel payment.
Defending the governments decision, Ms Nandy said: No I am not willing to accept that, its one of the reasons we have extended the cut off point to apply [for pension credit] until April next year.
She added: I dont accept your characterisation that we are indifferent to this. I couldnt care more and neither could the Chancellor and we are doing everything we can with the Work and Pensions Secretary to deal with this enormous black hole and this appalling economic inheritance.
Ms Nandy said there has been a huge drive to get the poorest pensioners to sign up for pension credit, which would automatically make them eligible for the winter fuel payment, despite there still being around 780,000 yet to apply.
Mr Lewis hit back, saying: There is a huge flaw in what youve said.
You believe they should get pension credit and winter fuel, but theyre not going to claim. They are the hardest to reach, youre not writing individual letters to them.
Theres lots you could do. So to try and talk about it, "were targeting the poorest".. The truth is youre not targeting them. Why arent you writing them bloody letters?