London mayor Sadiq Khan stands by decision to accept freebie Taylor Swift tickets costing £1,164

  • Above: Simon Harris explains why Sadiq Khan has decided not to repay his Taylor Swift freebie

Sadiq Khan says he stands by his decision to accept freebie Taylor Swift tickets costing £1,164 after the Prime Minister decided to repay the cost of his.

The mayor said he was "really proud" the pop megastar chose London to play the most concerts of any city in the world.

Mr Khan added it was important he carried on "banging the drum" for London.

"We are the sporting capital of the world, we're the cultural capital of the world, one of my jobs is to promote London," Mr Khan said."You'll be seeing me continuing to meet with sports people, to meet with cultural people and celebrating the joys of London.

"It's really important, we're proud of this just as the previous mayor was proud and the one before him.

"I'm proud as well," Mr Khan explained.

A record of Sadiq Khan's Taylor Swift tickets appeared on the mayor's official register of interests after being questioned about the free hospitality by ITV News London.

The mayor's record of free gifts Credit: Mayor of London/City Hall

Sir Keir Starmer paid back more than £6,000 worth of gifts he has received since becoming prime minister amid a row over freebies.The prime minister is covering the cost of six Taylor Swift tickets, four to the races and a clothing rental agreement with a high-end designer favoured by his wife, Lady Victoria Starmer.It comes after Sir Keir and other Cabinet members – who vowed to “clean up” British politics when they won the election – faced weeks of criticism for accepting tens of thousands of pounds worth of freebies from wealthy donors.The prime minister has committed to overhauling hospitality rules for ministers to ensure better transparency about what is provided following the backlash.

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