The UK government is working to create new laws to tackle the issue of ticket touting, a practice where people buy event tickets and then sell them for much higher prices. The prime minister, Keir Starmer, has faced pressure from artists, including the drummer of the Smiths, one of his favorite bands, to take action. Last year, Starmer promised to stop fans from being "ripped off" by banning for-profit resale on sites like Viagogo and StubHub. This was part of Labour's 2024 election manifesto, but the proposal was not included in the government's recent king’s speech, raising concerns in the music industry that progress has stalled. Despite this, sources have told the Guardian that the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has formed a large team of civil servants to draft the new legislation. The team is working on ways to prevent touts and resale platforms from moving their operations overseas to avoid new rules. Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said the issue is a priority, and Nandy is expected to speak further about the matter at the Labour conference. Industry figures, including rapper Tinie Tempah and the Smiths’ drummer Mike Joyce, have urged the government to act quickly, citing new research that shows touts are targeting small venues in Greater Manchester. The research examined 300 events across 13 venues where tickets were being resold on Viagogo. Many of these tickets were sold for prices far above their original cost, and some did not include any information about the seller, which may be a violation of competition laws. Some tickets were even "speculative," meaning they were listed by touts who did not actually have the tickets but hoped to sell them later. The highest price found was £5,899 for a show by Mica Millar, which was a markup of 19,728%. Tickets to a 40th-anniversary celebration of the Smiths’ The Queen Is Dead were being sold for £549 each, despite the event being a tribute to the band’s legacy. Viagogo, one of the platforms involved, disputes the findings, saying the proportion of listings held by the three main touts is much lower than claimed. The company also pointed out that it lists tickets for small, obscure events and that the actual sale prices are often much lower than the high figures reported. Viagogo stated that it complies with UK laws and prohibits speculative listings. If the UK government proceeds with a ban on ticket touting, it would align the country with Ireland, which outlawed touting in 2021. At present, unauthorized resale of football tickets is illegal in the UK, but resale of concert or theatre tickets is allowed, though touts can be prosecuted in rare cases of fraud.