Keir Starmer has criticised Wireless Festival for allowing Kanye West to headline, calling his booking “concerning”.
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The controversial rapper, who now goes by Ye, has been booked to headline all three nights of the Finsbury Park festival, with the shows described as a three-night journey through his “most iconic records”.
So far, the move has been criticised by groups including the Jewish Leadership Council and Campaign Against Anti-Semitism, the former of whom called his booking “deeply irresponsible”.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan also slammed West’s booking, commenting: “We are clear that the past comments and actions of this artist are offensive and wrong, and are simply not reflective of London’s values”.
Similarly, the Prime Minister has now made a statement addressing Ye’s slot. “It is deeply concerning that Kanye West has been booked to perform at Wireless despite his previous antisemitic remarks and celebration of Nazism,” he said, per The Sun.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has made a statement on Ye headlining Wireless this summer:
“It is deeply concerning Kanye West has been booked to perform at Wireless despite his previous antisemitic remarks and celebration of Nazism.”
“Antisemitism in any form is abhorrent and… pic.twitter.com/pqXGhptyzF
— Kurrco (@Kurrco) April 5, 2026
“Antisemitism in any form is abhorrent and must be confronted clearly and firmly wherever it appears,” he continued. “Everyone has a responsibility to ensure Britain is a place where Jewish people feel safe and secure.”
Last year, the PM was among the politicians who called for the Irish rap trio to be removed from the line-up for this year’s Glastonbury Festival. When NME asked Starmer why he felt the need to speak out, he told us: “Kneecap shouldn’t be performing at Glastonbury, and I don’t support inciting violence as free speech.”
“I think it’s important that we distinguish the issues we all care about and should be spoken about freely on the one hand, and then the incitement to violence on the other. They’re two different things.”
As for West, his anti-Semitic remarks began when he made a series of offensive comments on social media in 2022. His remarks saw his accounts on both Instagram and Twitter suspended, and the musician was dropped by his lawyer, talent agency and record label, along with fashion brands such as Balenciaga and Adidas.
At first, West gave several interviews, refusing to apologise for making the comments while suggesting that Jewish people should “forgive Hitler”. However, in 2023, West would deliver an apology to the Jewish community, going on to blame alcohol for his behaviour the following year.
In the wake of that initial apology, numerous lawsuits have been filed against the rapper with claims of extensive anti-Semitic behaviour. One former employee alleged that the rapper said Jewish people were “working together to hold him back”.
Another former employee claimed he used antisemitic language in the workplace and praised Hitler – something for which he allegedly paid a settlement for. In 2024, a separate ex-employee accused him of being openly anti-Semitic in front of his staff.
West would share a number of highly controversial posts in early 2025, when he took back an apology he previously made to the Jewish community for anti-Semitic remarks, and then declared himself “a Nazi”. West then claimed on X/Twitter that, “after further reflection”, he’d “come to the realisation that I’m not a Nazi”, followed only a few days later by yet more swastika apparel appearing on his X page.
West has since apologised for his actions by meeting with a rabbi and taking out a full-page ad in the Wall Street Journal broadcasting a separate apology.
However, he did not address the ongoing controversy while kicking off his tour earlier this week, but did tell the crowd at the SoFi Stadium: “Tonight we’re going to put all this behind us, ain’t that right LA?” on Friday (April 3).
