Ticketmaster may have misled music fans over Oasis concert ticket prices, a competition watchdog investigation has found.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has urged the online platform to change the way it labels its tickets and provide better pricing information to fans.

The CMA has been investigating the site following widespread complaints about the sale of Oasis gig tickets last year, which saw over 900,000 tickets purchased through the site.

Liam and Noel Gallagher announced the band would reunite for a tour in 2025, but fans suffered various problems when trying to get tickets, including some ending up paying as much as £355 for tickets originally advertised for £148 on Ticketmaster.

The controversy prompted the CMA to look at how ‘dynamic pricing’ – a form of surge pricing – may have been used, and whether the sale by Ticketmaster may have breached consumer protection law.

While the investigation is still ongoing, the CMA said it is “concerned” Ticketmaster may have breached consumer protection law.

It said the company labelled certain seated tickets as “platinum” and sold them for nearly two-and-a-half times the price of equivalent standard tickets, without explaining why they were more expensive.

“This risked giving consumers the misleading impression that platinum tickets were better,” it said.

It also found Ticketmaster did not inform fans that there were two categories of standing tickets at different prices, and there was no evidence that it used dynamic pricing.

“Many fans were under the impression that Ticketmaster used an algorithmic pricing model during the Oasis sale, with ticket prices adjusted in real time according to changing conditions like high demand,” the watchdog said.

“The CMA has not found evidence that this was the case. Instead, Ticketmaster released a number of standing tickets at a lower price and, once they had sold out, then released the remaining standing tickets at a much higher price.”

Downing Street has said “everyone deserves a fair shot at getting tickets” for music and sport events.

Asked what message the prime minister had for fans affected by the Oasis sale, a Number 10 spokesman said: “In general terms, the chance to see your favourite musicians or sports teams live is something that all of us enjoy, and everyone deserves a fair shot at getting tickets.

“But for too long, fans have had to endure the misery of touts hoovering up tickets for resale at vastly inflated prices. We’ve also seen cases where a lack of transparency has meant customers have been caught unawares by last minute price rises for high demand events.”

The spokesman said there would be a full response to a consultation issued in due course.

At the time of the backlash, a spokesperson for Ticketmaster said: “Fans can resell their Oasis tickets at the full price they paid through Ticketmaster or Twickets.”

The gigs kick off this July in Cardiff, running until September when the band will perform two final Wembley Stadium shows.

Remember “securonomics”? It was the buzzword Rachel Reeves gave to her economic philosophy back before the election.

The idea was that in the late 2020s, the old ideas about the way we run the economy would or should give way to a new model.

For a long time, we ignored where something was made and by whom and just ordered it in from the cheapest source. For a long time, we ignored the security consequences of where we got our energy from. The upshot of these assumptions was that over time, we allowed our manufacturing base to become hollowed out, unable to compete with cheap imports from China. We allowed our energy system to become ever more dependent on cheap Russian gas.

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The whole point of securonomics was that it matters where something is made and who owns it. And not just that – that revitalising manufacturing and energy could help revitalise “left-behind” corners of the economy, places like the Midlands and the North East.

Back when she came up with the coinage, Joe Biden was in power and was pumping billions of dollars into the US economy via the Inflation Reduction Act – a scheme designed to encourage green tech investment. So securonomics looked a little like the British version of Bidenomics.

That’s the key point: the “security” part of “securonomics” was mostly about energy security and supply chain security rather than about defence.

But when Rachel Reeves became chancellor, it looked for a period as if securonomics was dead on arrival. Most glaringly, Labour dramatically trimmed back the ambition and scale of its green investment plans.

But roll on a year or so, and we all know what happened next.

A new era

The Democrats lost, Donald Trump won, came into office and swiftly triggered a chain reaction that panicked everyone in Europe into investing more in defence. Today, much of the focus among investors is not on net zero but on defence.

All of which is to say, securonomics might be about to resurface, but in a markedly different guise. In the spring statement, I expect the chancellor to bring back this buzzword, but this time, the emphasis will not be on green tech but on something else: the defence sector.

Expect to hear about weapons

This time around, the chancellor will say securonomics 2.0, which is to say government investment in the defence sector will also bring an economic windfall, as old naval ports like Plymouth and Portsmouth see regeneration. This time, the focus will not be on solar and wind but on submarines and weapons.

Whether this rendition of securonomics is any more successful than the last remains to be seen. For the chancellor hardly has an enormous amount of money left to invest. While this week’s event is billed as a mere forecast update, the reality, when you take a step back, is more serious.

Read more:
What do you need to know about the spring statement

The chancellor will have to acknowledge that, without remedial action, she would have broken her fiscal rules. She will have to confirm significant changes to policy to rebuild the “headroom” against these rules. These will stop short of tax rises. Instead, the spending envelope in future years will be trimmed (think 1.1% or so spending increases rather than 1.3% or 1.4%). Those welfare reforms announced last week will bring in a bit of extra cash. And thanks to an accounting quirk, the decision (announced a few weeks ago) to shift development spending into defence will also give her a bit more space against her rules.

The austerity question

But even these changes will raise further awkward questions: is this or is this not austerity? Certainly, for some departments, that spending cut will involve further significant sacrifices. Are those benefits gains really achievable, and at what cost? And, most ominously, what if the chancellor has to come back to parliament in another six months and admit she’s broken her rules all over again?

The return of securonomics might be the theme she wants to focus on in the coming months – but that, too, depends on having money to invest – and the UK’s fiscal position looks as tight as ever.

Rivian is still on track to launch the midsize R2 next year. The expansion at its Normal, Illinois, plant is quickly advancing as it preps for R2 deliveries in 2026. Rivian says it’s “slightly ahead” on construction. Here’s the latest update on Rivian’s R2 expansion in Normal.

Rivian R2 launch is still on track for 2026

Even during the Illinois winter, Rivian said construction has progressed well. Rivian is building a new 1.1-million-square-foot building on the east side of the plant, which will be the body shop and general assembly for R2.

The Normal plant, where Rivian builds the current R1S, R1T, and Electric Commercial Van, is already 4.3 million square feet. Once the upgrades are complete, the plant will be able to produce up to 215,000 vehicles a year, up from the current 150,000.

Soon, Rivian expects to finish the roof while interior work has already begun. Tony Sanger, VP of production facilities at Rivian, gave us a few updates on its progress.

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According to Sanger, all new buildings are “going vertical.” In other words, the walls, structural components, and roofing are well underway.

Rivian finished the walls for the new Body, General Assembly, and End of Line building. The structural steel is 70% complete, while the roof decking is about 60% finished.

Sanger said, “We are running slightly ahead on this building.” The Parts Pre-Treat and E-Coat Dip building is nearly completely weather-tight, and Rivian expects its integrator to start landing equipment next month.

Rivian’s R2 expansion is still “on track” with the midsize platform set to launch in 2026 as planned. Sanger explained that prefabrication has been key to staying ahead.

Although the new 1.1 million square foot building required Rivian to take down its test track, it’s building a new high-speed track, expected to open this spring.

Earlier this month, CEO RJ Scaringe gave us a sneak peek of the R2 body as it preps for production. Although Rivian will begin building R2 in Normal, it expects output to ramp up significantly at its new EV plant in Georgia.

The Georgia facility is expected to come online in 2028 with up to 400,000 annual vehicle production capacity. Rivian says R2 is just the start, with other variants, like the smaller R3 and sporty R3X, launching shortly after.

Starting at about $45,000, the R2 will be nearly half the cost of Rivian’s current R1S ($77,700) and R1T ($71,700).