Stephen Morgan welcomes Labour announcement on ticket touting to protect fans

For too long, people in Portsmouth have faced frustration as tickets for concerts, sports events, and theatre performances are resold at sky-high prices, putting live events out of reach for many residents.

This follows the Conservatives’ failure to act on the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) recommendations.

As a result, local people often miss out on tickets for sporting and cultural events, only to see them resold on secondary platforms with typical mark-ups exceeding 50%.

Labour’s tougher regulations on secondary ticketing platforms aim to address this, putting fans back at the heart of live events and keeping more money in the pockets of working people.

The consultation launched by Labour will address these concerns by exploring measures to:

• Cap resale prices, limiting them to a fair range (e.g. no more than 30% above face value)
• Hold ticket resale websites accountable, requiring greater transparency and legal obligations.
• Strengthen enforcement of consumer protections, including higher fines for rule breaches and a new licensing regime for resale platforms

Commenting, Portsmouth South MP Stephen Morgan said:

“Far too often fans of live sport and music are priced out of it by sky-high prices on the secondary market, going for way more than the original price.

“I’m pleased to see the Labour government stepping in on behalf of normal people to tackle ticket touting and ensure Portsmouth people can get affordable tickets to the events they want to attend.

“This plan will put music, theatre, comedy and sports fans back at the heart of live events and delivers on our plan for change to keep more money in the pockets of working people.”