In a landmark move for live entertainment, the UK government has officially declared it will be illegal to resell tickets for concerts, theatre, comedy, and sports events for more than their original price. The announcement, made on 20 November 2025, aims to dismantle the industrial-scale ticket touting that has left countless fans empty-handed or facing extortionate prices.
What The New Legislation Involves
The new measures, detailed in a report on gov.uk, are designed to improve access for genuine fans during initial ticket sales and put a definitive stop to rip-off pricing on the secondary market. The legislation introduces several key rules to achieve this.
Firstly, ticket resale above face value will be illegal. The government has clearly defined this as the original ticket price plus any unavoidable fees, such as service charges. To prevent resale platforms from circumventing this price cap, the service fees they charge will also be limited.
Furthermore, these resale platforms will now bear a legal duty to monitor and enforce compliance with the new price restrictions. Finally, the law will ban individuals from reselling more tickets than they were originally entitled to purchase, directly targeting the bulk-buying practices of professional scalpers.
A Victory for Artists and Fans
This decisive action follows growing public frustration and a direct appeal from major artists. Recently, stars including Dua Lipa and Coldplay signed a letter urging Prime Minister Keir Starmer to stop touts from fleecing fans. High-profile tours for artists like Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, and Sabrina Carpenter have highlighted the issue, with fans frequently losing out on tickets to automated bots and scalpers who then resell them at massively inflated prices.
The new law seeks to finally break this business model, ensuring that live events are accessible to the public at a fair price. While the exact enforcement date remains unclear, this legislation marks a significant shift in the UK's approach to ticket touting.
For music and sports enthusiasts across the country, this change promises a fairer future where the excitement of seeing a favourite artist or team is no longer overshadowed by prohibitive costs and unscrupulous resellers.
