Rachel Reeves has blamed ‘security’ fears for accepting tickets to a Sabrina Carpenter gig worth around £600.
The Chancellor said accepting the freebie at the O2 Arena for her and a ‘family member’ was the ‘right thing to do’.
She argued that they were ‘not tickets you were able to buy’ – although she stressed the value will be declared in transparency registers.
The explanation came as Ms Reeves was grilled about ‘austerity’ plans in broadcast interviews ahead of the Spring Statement this week.
The government has been left scrabbling for billions of pounds in cuts to spending after growth slumped amid the huge Budget tax raid and Donald Trump’s trade war.
News of Ms Reeves’ enjoyment of corporate hospitality earlier this month, said to have been provided by AEG, sparked a backlash from Labour MPs unhappy at welfare cuts.
It came after a fierce row last year over senior Labour figures – including Keir Starmer – accepting lavish freebies and gifts.
The PM was dubbed ‘free gear Keir’ amid scrutiny of him accepting suits and spectacles worth thousands of pounds from Labour peer Lord Waheed Alli.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves said accepting the freebie at the O2 Arena for her and a ‘family member’ was the right thing to do’
Ms Reeves accepted free tickets to watch US pop star Sabrina Carpenter in a corporate box
The box used by Ms Reeves for the gig earlier this month is believed to belong to AEG, which also owns the long-term lease for the O2 Arena (pictured)
Sir Keir was also among a slew of top politicians to receive free tickets and hospitality to Taylor Swift’s gigs in London last summer.
He later paid back more than £6,000 worth of gifts and vowed – together with Deputy PM Angela Rayner and Ms Reeves – not to accept any further donations for clothing.
Asked about the Sabrina Carpenter concert on the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme, Ms Reeves said: ‘I went with a member of my family to see a concert a couple of weeks ago.
‘I do now have security, which means it’s not as easy as it would have been in the past to just sit in a concert, although that would probably be a lot easier for everyone concerned.
‘So, look, I took those tickets to go with a member of my family. I thought that was the right thing to do from a security perspective.’
The Chancellor added: ‘These weren’t tickets that you could pay for, so there wasn’t a price for those tickets.
‘Obviously, I’ll declare the value of them but they weren’t tickets that you were able to buy.’
It is understood the declared value of the hospitality will be around £600, although similar tickets for the gig were said to be changing hands for higher prices.
PM Sir Keir Starmer and his wife Victoria attended a Taylor Swift gig at Wembley Stadium last June
