Rachel Reeves says she won’t take free concert tickets in future after Sabrina Carpenter row

Labour chancellor said ‘I do recognise how it looks to people’ as she slashes £5bn from welfare payments

Rachel Reeves has said she will not accept future ‘freebie’ concert tickets after her decision to accept a seat in a box to watch Sabrina Carpenter reignited a furious row.

The chancellor came under fire from MPs – including government ministers – for receiving the hospitality as she prepared to slash £5 billion from the welfare bill.

Now Ms Reeves has said she will not accept free tickets again in an attempt to draw a line under the issue.

She told ITV's Good Morning Britain: "I do recognise how it looks to people.

(AFP/PA)

"Since I've become chancellor, my life has changed a lot. It's the privilege of my life to do this job, but with it does come security concerns that I'm not able, like I was in the past, just to buy tickets for a concert and sit with my family.

"So for security reasons, I did take a ticket in a box. I don't have any intention of doing this again. I thought it was the right decision for my family on that occasion. But I do understand how people feel."

Asked if this would mean she will rule out all freebies in future, she said: "If it's related to my job and it's something that I need to do in my job, like I'm going to a formal dinner or a formal event, of course you have to accept hospitality.

"But, look, I went with a family member. I'm not intending to take concert tickets in the future.

"But, you know, it is a balancing act in my job to try and be a good parent, and also do my job, with some of the security challenges that I face in the job now."

On Wednesday, Zarah Sultana, the independent MP for Coventry South - who was a Labour MP until she had the whip suspended – raised the tickets as she asked the chancellor if "austerity 2.0' is the change people really voted for?"