A group of 50 peers has called on Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood to ban the musician Macklemore from entering Britain ahead of his concert next week. The move follows concerns about the event's beneficiaries and the artist's public statements.
Letter from peers cites public good concerns
The letter, written by Baron Walney, the Government's former adviser on political violence, argues that the concert is 'not conducive to the public good' and that Macklemore's, real name Benjamin Haggerty, ETA should be revoked. The peers object to the concert going ahead because they say some of the proceeds will go to the Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM).
The PYM has been accused of celebrating and having links to terrorist organisations, allegations the group denies. The group was also criticised for a post on X that read: 'When people are occupied, resistance is justified' after the October 7 attacks in Israel.
Letter's argument and concert details
According to The Telegraph, the peers' letter reads: 'A foreign national proposes to come to Britain to raise money, from a British audience, for an organisation whose record of glorifying terrorism and of intimidating elected representatives should concern any government.'
'A refusal would be proportionate and narrowly targeted. It would not prevent anyone in this country supporting the humanitarian organisations on Mr Haggerty's list, nor restrict access to his music. It would simply decline to grant a foreign national the privilege of raising funds on British soil for an organisation of this kind.'
Macklemore is set to play at the OVO Arena, Wembley on Friday 30 October 2026 as part of the Free Palestine Tour. The tour was organised after Macklemore was removed from Ed Sheeran's current tour following his pro-Palestine stance on stage.
Tour begins in Colorado
The tour began at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado on Thursday night, where Macklemore called for a free Palestine. 'Being a human being in this moment is not complicated,' he said. 'It is not political. It is human to have a heart, to watch others suffering and to say, Not anymore! So I say, free Palestine. I say, free Palestine!'
'I say, free Sudan. I say, free Congo, Lebanon, to Haiti, to all the people that are affected by ICE in America, who are afraid to leave their houses.' Metro has reached out to the Home Office and Macklemore for comment.
