The United Kingdom government announced that it will ban the resale of live-event tickets above their original face value, targeting the practice of professional ticket touting that inflates prices for concerts, theatre and sports.

Housing Secretary Steve Reed emphasised that the move reflects a commitment to give fans fair access and end a system in which resale mark-ups routinely run to hundreds of pounds.

Under the forthcoming legislation the resale of a ticket at a price higher than it originally cost will become unlawful, while resale platforms will be allowed to charge limited service fees.

Ministers say the rules will cover all major live events and will include strict limits on platform fees to prevent artificial surcharges circumventing the ban.

Artists who backed the campaign—such as Radiohead, Dua Lipa and Coldplay—welcomed the initiative, saying it demonstrates the government is now putting fans first in the live-events market.

Shares in major secondary-ticketing website owners fell sharply after reports of the ban emerged.

The Competition and Markets Authority simultaneously announced investigations into ticket-platform pricing and transparency practices.

Resale companies warn that the new rules may push transactions into unregulated channels and increase fraud, while the government insists enforcement will focus on platforms as well as individual sellers.

The draft legislation follows a wide public consultation conducted earlier this year on how to reform the secondary ticketing market.

As the Bill enters Parliament this week, event-organisers and users are bracing for the widest overhaul of the UK ticket-resale market in decades—one that the government says will restore fairness for millions of fans.