The UK government promised to end ticket touting. So why hasn't it?

Before the UK's general election, Labour's 2024 manifesto promised to "put fans back at the heart of events" by ending ticket touting. Then, when in power, the Labour government made confirmed the plan in November 2025. And yet here we are in April 2026, with no legislation, and reports that the Ticketing Bill may not even appear in the King's Speech on 13 May. But what we do have is the fan-led review of live music, urging the government to enact this change. This is the first episode of a new series on power and double standards in music - who has it, how it works, and what fans can actually do both individually and collectively to change things. To kick things off, DiS founder Sean Adams and co-host Helena Wadia are joined by Kat Cereda, spokesperson for Which?, to dig into the consumer rights organisation's open letter calling on Keir Starmer to include a Ticketing Bill in the King's Speech and cap ticket resales at face value. The coalition of signatories is striking: AEG Presents, the Featured Artists Coalition, ATC Management (Nick Cave, Radiohead), Wildlife Entertainment (Arctic Monkeys, Fontaines DC), Grumpy Old Management (Ed Sheeran), the Music Venue Trust, Live Nation, Ticketmaster and more - united in calling on the government to deliver on its manifesto commitment before the window closes. They cover: Why Which?, who are perhaps best known for testing washing machines, is exactly the right organisation to lead this fight How secondary ticketing has grown from "the old man in a trenchcoat outside the venue" to international criminal operations with links to Dubai and Delaware The numbers: resellers stand to make an estimated £24 million from fans this summer alone; a Harry Styles ticket at £200 face value listed at £3,622; an Ariana Grande ticket at £135 listed at £2,835; a BTS ticket at £450 listed at £4,872 that's a whopping 312% markup; and a Raye ticket at All Points East listed on Viagogo at £140,000 Speculative selling: listing tickets touts don't even own yet How fans could save £112 million a year if a price cap were introduced. This is the government's own figure! Why the King's Speech on 13th May is the only real accountability test, and what it means if the bill isn't in it The CMS Committee's independent fan-led review, published just this month, which calls on the government to act "without delay" (more on that next week) What 91% of over 8,000 Music Fans Voice survey respondents agree on Platforms like Twickets and Dice that are already doing it right What you can do right now to keep the pressure on Visit https://drownedinsound.org/playlists/ to discover new music in rich Hi-Res lossless quality and start your 30-day free trial of Qobuz at https://qobuz.com/dis. This episode was edited by: http://tell.studio  Which? Stop Fleecing Fans campaign: https://www.which.co.uk/campaigns/stop-fleecing-fans Open letter to the Prime Minister (LinkedIn): https://www.linkedin.com/posts/which_open-letter-to-the-prime-minister-activity-7453362314151469056-LwME Which? on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/DXgfoKVFrtA/ Co-hosted by Helena Wadia, who also co-hosts the Media Storm podcast: https://mediastormpodcast.com/about-us/ Further reading CMS Committee Fan-Led Review of Live and Electronic Music (April 2026): https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/378/culture-media-and-sport-committee/news/213147/calls-for-new-music-fan-association-to-boost-fan-involvement-as-review-publishes-charter-to-safeguard-live-music-sector/ Previous episode Adam Webb (FanFair Alliance) on ticket resale and the FanFair Alliance's campaign: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/uk-caps-ticket-resale-at-face-value-what-took-so-long/id1037405920?i=1000737461606 Recorded at The Shure Experience Centre, London. Sign up to our newsletter at http://drownedinsound.org