Times of London reports that while traveling to Wembley Stadium for her record-breaking Eras tour, Taylor SwiftThe 34-year-old received a level of protection usually reserved for senior cabinet ministers and members of the royal family.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper and London Mayor Sadiq Khan called for increased taxpayer-funded protection during her stopover in London. However, Lord Hermer KC, the government's most senior lawyer, intervened after Scotland Yard said this level of “VVIP” protection would breach its long-standing protocols.

Related: Why does Taylor Swift keep stopping her shows mid-song? It's actually a great lesson in leadership.

Protection was eventually secured and there is growing public outrage that officials got free tickets to the show.

According to some reports, the driving force behind the show of force was Swift's mother and manager, Andrea. After the failed bomb plot in Vienna and a horrific knife attack at a Taylor-themed dance class, Andrea threatened to cancel shows at Wembley unless higher levels of security were met.

for Deadlineonce insurance was lined up, Swift played 15 dates in June and August that reportedly boosted UK spending by almost $1.3 billion.