US EditionKanye West's permission to enter the UK 'under review by ministers' as Wireless backlash grows
Sponsors including Pepsi and Diageo have withdrawn support as ministers weigh whether West’s history of antisemitic comments makes him ineligible to enter Britain.
- On Monday, April 6, 2026, UK government ministers began reviewing rapper Kanye West's permission to enter the country following backlash over his headline booking at the Wireless Festival scheduled for July in London.
- Backlash centers on West's history of antisemitic and pro-Nazi remarks, including releasing a song titled 'Heil Hitler' last year and selling swastika-themed merchandise, which critics describe as a sustained pattern of behavior.
- Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the booking "deeply concerning," while major sponsors including Pepsi, Diageo, and Rockstar Energy withdrew support and Conservative MP Chris Philp urged Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood to ban West's entry.
- Festival Republic Managing Director Melvin Benn has not cancelled the event, stating West has a "legal right to come into the country and perform" despite mounting pressure from politicians and Jewish advocacy groups.
- The Home Secretary holds powers under the Immigration Act 1971 to ban non-citizens whose presence is not "conducive to the public good." No final decision has been announced as the review continues.
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South China Morning Post
The Straits TimesPressure mounts on UK government to ban Kanye West after festival backlash
The British government was under growing pressure on Monday to bar American rapper Kanye West from entering the country after he was named as the headline act for the Wireless Festival of rap and hip-hop music set for July. West, now known as Ye, has been criticised in the past for antisemitic remarks and celebration of Nazism, which have led on several occasions to his social media accounts, including on X, being barred. The decision to book Y…
Pressure mounts on UK govt to ban Kanye West after festival backlash
Kanye West. File photo: Reuters The British government is under growing pressure to bar US rapper Kanye West from entering the country after he was named as the headline act for the Wireless Festival of rap and hip-hop music set for July.
The British government was meant to ban the access of the Kanye West rapper to the UK territory, in the context of which the old American continues to support three concerts in London's Wireless Festival.
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