It looks like the government are actually going to go ahead and ban touts selling secondary tickets for profit under legislation that will be included in the next King’s Speech.
That is what is being reported in a news piece in today’s Guardian, anyway. Ministers apparently considered allowing an upper limit of 30% of the original price in the secondary market, but that idea has been discarded in favour of an outright ban on profiteering.
It is thought that resale sites will be able to charge fees on top, but that these will be limited. The ban will also cover social media sites. Resale platforms will be legally liable if sellers do not comply with the rules, which will be enforced by the Competition and Markets Authority.
It comes just a week after a whole load of prominent UK artists sent an open letter to the Prime Minister, calling on him to act over the secondary ticket market. Among the artists who signed were Radiohead, Dua Lipa, Robert Smith of the Cure, Coldplay, Sam Fender and PJ Harvey.
The legislation will presumably be presented to parliament in the next King’s Speech, which isn’t due until spring 2026 – no date for it has been set as yet.
Meanwhile, the aforementioned Competition and Markets Authority is on the tail of StubHub and Viagogo for their online pricing practices. They are among the eight companies the organisation are investigating – others include the AA Driving School and BSM Driving School. In the case of the secondary ticketing platforms, the CMA is looking into whether they are transparent about taxes and booking fees before consumers purchase tickets.
In addition to this, the CMA is writing to another 100 firms, outlining their concerns over additional fees and unscrupulous sales tactics. Speaking to the BBC, the CMA chief executive Sarah Cardell said: "At a time when household budgets are under constant pressure and we're all hunting for the best deal possible, it's crucial that people are able to shop online with confidence, knowing that the price they see is the price they'll pay, and any sales are genuine."
The CMA is due to publish updates about its investigations in March 2026.
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