Diageo and Pepsi have withdrawn their sponsorship of the Wireless festival after Prime Minister Keir Starmer criticised the decision to book Kanye West as headliner. The rapper, also known as Ye, has been widely condemned for antisemitic remarks and a song titled Heil Hitler.
Diageo, owner of Johnnie Walker and Captain Morgan, told the Press Association: “We have informed the organisers of our concerns, and as it stands, Diageo will not sponsor the 2026 Wireless festival.” A Pepsi spokesperson confirmed the company had also decided to withdraw its sponsorship. The festival is scheduled to take place in Finsbury Park, London, in July.
Starmer said: “It is deeply concerning that 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 must be confronted clearly and firmly wherever it appears.” Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey called on the government to ban West from entering the UK, describing his planned appearance as “extremely serious”.
The Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, could personally direct that West be excluded under immigration rules that allow denial of entry based on character, conduct or associations that pose a threat to UK society. West is understood not to have yet applied to enter Britain. The Jewish Leadership Council and the Board of Deputies of British Jews have also condemned the booking as “deeply irresponsible”.
In January, West apologised for his antisemitic remarks in a full-page Wall Street Journal advert, stating that his bipolar disorder had led to “a four-month long, manic episode of psychotic, paranoid and impulsive behaviour that destroyed my life”.
