MPs demand Kanye West ban as FTSE 100 sponsor ditches Wireless Festival
Labour MPs are calling on Sir Keir Starmer to ban Kanye West from performing in north London this summer as major sponsors ditched Wireless Festival.
Luke Akehurst and Rachael Maskell are among some of the MPs to have publicly urged Starmer to intervene on a visa to be issued to the ‘Gold Digger’ rapper, who released a song named ‘Heil Hitler’ and has previously sold swastika T-shirts.
On Sunday, the Prime Minister said it was “deeply concerning” that West, who changed his name to Ye, had been booked to perform at the festival taking place in Finsbury Park.
Starmer said: “Antisemitism in any form is abhorrent and must be confronted firmly wherever it appears. Everyone has a responsibility to ensure Britain is a place where Jewish people feel safe.”
A number of MPs from other parties have also weighed in on West’s scheduled concerts. Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said the government should be “tougher on antisemitism” and ban West.
Kemi Badenoch suggested Wireless should not be “platforming people who make antisemitic statements” while Nigel Farage said he wouldn’t buy a ticket to watch West.
Kanye West condemned
The 24-time Grammy winner is headlining all three nights at Wireless, with tickets set to be put on sale from Tuesday.
It puts the government and festival organisers in a race against time to come to a decision on West’s booking.
The Kim Kardashian divorcee is booked to play in India, Turkey, France and Spain over the coming months after two concerts in Los Angeles in early April.
His ‘comeback’ show, which follows a period in which West made several hateful comments about Jewish people online, was marred by repeated stoppages as the rapper complained about flashing lights.
Wireless Festival will be the first time he has performed in the UK since a controversial headline set at Glastonbury in 2015.
Sponsors’ runaway
Pepsi, the main sponsor for the festival, and Diageo, the FTSE 100 owner of the drinks Johnnie Walker and Captain Morgan, pulled out of sponsoring Wireless.
A Diageo spokesperson said: “We have informed the organisers of our concerns and as it stands, Diageo will not sponsor the 2026 Wireless festival.”
Sponsors that remain signed up to Wireless include Budweiser, Paypal and the water company Drip.