UK government "deprioritises" ticket tout ban in 2026 King's Speech
The lack of action on the ticket touting ban has been criticised as a "betrayal of millions of music fans"
The UK government appears to have deprioritised its proposed ban of ticket touts, after the legislation was listed as "draft" in the Kings Speech 2026.
The proposals, which were announced by Culture, Media and Sport Secretary Lisa Nandy in November, would prohibit the sale of tickets for a higher price than which they were purchased. The changes would outlaw ticket touting, and extend to resale platforms such as Viagogo and StubHub.
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Just last week (May 8), Prime Minister Keir Starmer shared a letter with NME vowing to "put fans back at the heart of events by introducing new consumer protections on ticket resales”, reinstating his commitment to the issue which was included within the Labour Paty's 2024 General Election manifesto.
However, during this year's King's Speech, which was delivered to the House of Commons on Thursday (May 13), the ticket touting bill was included as a "draft legislation", meaning it will not be put to ministers for during the current parliamentary session and will instead be left to further public consultation. The ticket tout ban has already been the subject of an open consultation to the public last year, with the majority of respondents calling for a cap ticket resale at face value.
In a statement to Mixmag, UK Music Chief Executive Tom Kiehl - who published an open letter urging the government to stick by its pledge on Monday (May 11) - said the lack of inclusion of the ticket touting ban in the Kings Speech was a "betrayal of millions of music fans."
“Until we get action on sky-high ticket resales, we will continue to see cash siphoned overseas from the wallets of UK fans and the UK music industry in order to swell the already huge profits of ticket resale businesses," he continues. "I urge MPs to explore the legislative programme and identify alternative opportunities to ensure primary legislation is passed in this year's Parliamentary session.”
Megan Townsend is Mixmag's Deputy Editor, you can email her here.
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