Jewish Groups and MPs Demand London Festival Drop Controversial Rapper

Pepsi and Diageo have abandoned their sponsorships of London's Wireless Festival, and Labour MPs are pressing the government to bar Kanye West from entering the country altogether, after the rapper was confirmed as the sole headliner for all three nights of the July event at Finsbury Park. The withdrawals struck at the commercial foundation of an event whose very branding had carried Pepsi's name: the festival website still carried the tagline "Pepsi MAX presents Wireless" even as the company confirmed it was pulling out.

Festival Republic announced West on March 30 as the headliner of all three nights of Wireless 2026, scheduled for July 10 to 12 at Finsbury Park in north London, billing the shows as "a three-night journey through his most iconic records" and marking his first UK performance in 11 years. Ticket presales were due to begin on Tuesday, April 7, via Ticketmaster, with general on-sale the following day. With that on-sale window now imminent, no other artists have been added to the lineup alongside West.

The power to cancel sits primarily with Festival Republic and its managing director Melvin Benn, who operates the event under the Live Nation umbrella. The Board of Deputies of British Jews accused Wireless of "profiteering from racism" and called out Benn by name, noting that the festival had spent days being "unavailable for comment" and calling on him to be held to account. Phil Rosenberg, president of the Board of Deputies, publicly called on the Home Secretary to use her powers to bar West from entering the UK.

Labour MPs Luke Akehurst and Rachael Maskell are calling on Prime Minister Keir Starmer to ban West from performing in north London, as major sponsors ditched the festival. The Campaign Against Antisemitism argued there is a "clear case" to ban West from entering the UK, invoking the standard that a non-citizen's presence must be "conducive to the public good." Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey had already spoken out on April 3, making Starmer's silence to that point conspicuous.

Prime Minister Starmer said it was "deeply concerning Kanye West has been booked to perform at Wireless despite his previous antisemitic remarks and celebration of Nazism," adding that "antisemitism in any form is abhorrent and must be confronted firmly." London Mayor Sadiq Khan condemned the booking and said West's statements were "offensive and wrong" and did not reflect London's values, though his office made clear City Hall had no formal role in the booking decision.

The venue itself, however, does carry leverage. Haringey Council, which operates Finsbury Park, told Festival Republic that as the event licensee it "must meet several conditions," including ensuring "performing acts do not offend or denigrate any race or religion," and said it would be seeking assurances from the organiser.

Diageo, the FTSE 100 spirits company whose Johnnie Walker and Captain Morgan labels were listed as partner brands, confirmed it would not sponsor the 2026 festival "as it stands." Pepsi, whose name had been tied to the festival's headline sponsorship for years, confirmed its withdrawal to the Associated Press. Remaining sponsors including Budweiser, PayPal, and Beatbox had not issued responses as of Sunday night.

The Jewish Leadership Council described the booking as "deeply irresponsible," pointing to the fact that "the UK Jewish community is facing record levels of antisemitism" and that West "has repeatedly used his platform to spread antisemitism and pro-Nazi messaging." West released a 2025 song called "Heil Hitler" and sold swastika T-shirts through his clothing site. He has since publicly apologised for his remarks and attributed them to bipolar disorder.

The Board of Deputies also noted that West's booking breaches Wireless's own charter, which states "We will not tolerate discrimination." With presale tickets set to go live and no other acts announced, Festival Republic faces a narrowing window before refund liability and reputational cost begin to compound into a formal cancellation decision.