UK Prime Minister (for now...) Keir Starmer has responded to the artists, industry organisations and music fans who have demanded a timeline for the passing of a new law that will put the government’s previously promised ticket touting ban into effect.
In a rather waffley 397 word letter addressed to “all live music fans” and published by NME, Starmer reassures everyone that that ban will definitely go into effect soon. Well, maybe not soon. But definitely one day. Eventually. He actually says “as quickly as possible”, which is one of those great lines that implies urgency but promises nothing.
However, it will definitely happen, Starmer insists, with an added “let me get that straight”. He goes on, “We will protect fans so they can keep more of their hard-earned cash, by making it illegal for tickets to live events to be resold for more than their original cost”.
Starmer’s government first made that commitment last November, having previously promised to crack down on for-profit ticket touting ahead of the 2024 General Election. But since then ministers have been very vague about when they will go to Parliament with formal proposals to make the touting ban law.
The issue has been back in the spotlight in recent weeks because on Wednesday the government will set out its legislative agenda for the next year in the King’s Speech and there were reports that the touting ban would not be included. It’s now looking likely that it will feature, but as a ‘draft bill’, which means it’s still formally on the agenda, but is unlikely to be voted on in Parliament during the next year.
Anti-touting campaigners are not happy about the delay - pointing to the recent Which? study which estimates ticket touts could make almost £24 million reselling tickets on platforms like Viagogo and StubHub this summer alone. The longer it takes to outlaw for-profit touting, the more money will flow from fans to touts, rather than to the artists and promoters that put on the shows.
The official justification for only committing to a ‘draft bill’ in the King’s Speech is that more needs to be done figuring out quite how the touting ban will work, and with a draft bill there is an opportunity to consult all the relevant stakeholders before Parliamentary scrutiny begins.
Starmer’s letter continues, “If we are going to crack down on unscrupulous ticket touts and really put fans first, we must work with groups and people across the sector - including fans, performers and campaigners - as well as parliamentarians to ensure we get it right the first time and make the lasting change you want and deserve”.
That might seem like a reasonable justification for delaying the ban, though it ignores the fact the government has already conducted an extensive formal consultation on this issue, which is what led to last November’s announcement. So it’s not really clear who else there is to consult.
But, Starmer concludes, through the promised draft bill, in the next Parliamentary term “we will make progress on the legislation to protect fans and create a policy that will stand the test of time”.
Presumably all the music community can now do is hope that that turns out to be true, even if no one thinks Starmer himself will be Prime Minister for long enough to actually make good on that commitment.