The UK government has accelerated work on legislation to prevent ticket touting following pressure from prominent artists and music industry figures. Prime Minister Keir Starmer previously committed to outlawing for-profit ticket resales on platforms such as Viagogo and StubHub, a policy included in Labour’s 2024 election manifesto. The measure did not appear in this year’s king’s speech, raising concerns that the initiative had been abandoned. However, sources confirmed that the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport has established a dedicated team of civil servants to draft the policy and guide it through parliament.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy indicated the government views the issue as a priority, with reports suggesting Andy Burnham is particularly invested in the proposal. Recent industry research has documented extensive ticket touting targeting small venues in Greater Manchester, with prices marked up significantly above face value. Investigation of 300 events across 13 venues found tickets being resold at extraordinary markups, with one listing for a concert reaching a 19,728% increase over original price. Some listings were identified as speculative, meaning touts advertised tickets they did not possess.
Artists and industry advocates, including members of the Smiths and rapper Tinie Tempah, have called for swift government action. Analysis by the FanFair Alliance found that just three touts, based in Latvia, North America, and Germany, were responsible for the majority of listings. Viagogo disputed these findings and stated that actual sale prices were substantially lower than advertised prices, while also asserting compliance with existing UK law. The company noted that its policies prohibit speculative listings.
Government drafters are reportedly examining methods to prevent touting operations from relocating offshore to circumvent new legislation. A DCMS spokesperson confirmed commitment to banning ticket touting and indicated draft legislation would be presented during the current parliamentary session. The proposed ban would align the UK with Ireland, which implemented similar restrictions in 2021. Currently, unauthorized football ticket resale is illegal across the UK, while concert and theatre ticket resales remain permitted, though individual touts have occasionally faced prosecution for fraud-related offenses.
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