Keir Starmer has been urged to honour his pledge to ban ticket touting, amid fears the policy will be omitted from next month’s king’s speech. Industry groups warn fans could lose “hundreds of millions” if action is delayed.
Fresh evidence shows professional touts targeting BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend in Sunderland, selling tickets at up to 1,000% mark-up on sites like Viagogo and StubHub. Despite a two-ticket limit, one listing offered 30 tickets; the most expensive was £622 for a £45 ticket. By 31 March, 571 tickets were listed across the two platforms for a combined £86,546, far above the £27,278 face value.
Starmer pledged in November to “stop fans from being ripped off” as part of Labour’s 2024 manifesto. But in a parliamentary meeting last week, minister Ian Murray hinted the measure may not appear in the king’s speech on 13 May, suggesting alternative legislative routes seen as unreliable.
Caroline Dinenage, chair of the culture select committee, said omitting the policy “would call into question whether the government is serious about protecting music lovers”. Which? consumer law expert Lisa Webb added: “If not in the king’s speech, the only ones celebrating will be the rip-off secondary ticketing websites and online touts.”
FanFair Alliance noted touts from the Netherlands, Dubai, Hong Kong and elsewhere listed tickets without proper details, breaching consumer protection rules. StubHub apologised for failing to flag resale restrictions, while Viagogo said it operates “in full compliance” with UK regulations.
