Pressure mounts on UK government to ban Kanye West after festival backlashControversy Surrounding Kanye West's Wireless Festival HeadlineBy Suban AbdullaLONDON, April 6 (Reuters) - The British government was under growing pressure on Monday to bar U.S. 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 Home Office does not usually comment on individual cases, but Mahmood has powers to personally request Ye be excluded from the UK. Festival Organisers Defend DecisionStatements from Festival RepublicMelvin Benn, managing director at Festival Republic, one of the organisers, defended the decision to have Ye headline the event despite his “abhorrent” comments, urging the public to offer him forgiveness. London Mayor's StatementA spokesperson for London mayor Sadiq Khan said the rapper's comments did not reflect the city's values and that the decision had been made by festival organisers. A spokesperson for PayPal told Reuters on Monday its branding would not appear in any future Wireless festival promotional materials.

Source: The Guardian April 06, 2026 16:46 UTC