Keir Starmer 'concerned' over Kanye West UK festival dates

Keir Starmer 'concerned' over Kanye West UK festival dates8 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleImogen JamesGetty ImagesPrime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said it is "deeply concerning" that Kanye West is set to headline Wireless Festival in London this summer. West, now known as Ye, has drawn widespread criticism for antisemitic comments he has made in recent years, for which he issued an apology in January.The American rapper, 48, was announced as the headliner for all three days of the rap and R&B festival in north London earlier this week. In response Sir Keir said, in comments first reported by the Sun on Sunday, that West has been booked "despite his previous antisemitic remarks and celebration of Nazism"."Antisemitism in any form is abhorrent and must be confronted firmly wherever it appears," Sir Keir said. "Everyone has a responsibility to ensure Britain is a place where Jewish people feel safe."Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey said on Thursday that the government should ban West from entering the UK, arguing "we need to get tougher on antisemitism" and describing West's planned appearance as "extremely serious".Kanye West to return to UK for Wireless FestivalLast year West was blocked from entering Australia after releasing a song titled "Heil Hitler", glorifying the Nazi leader. He also declared himself a Nazi earlier in the year, retracting an earlier apology he issued over antisemitic comments, and sold T-shirts featuring a swastika on his clothing website.In November 2025, West held a meeting with Rabbi Yoshiyahu Yosef Pinto where he reportedly apologised for his past antisemitic comments.In January, West took out a full-page advertisement in the Wall Street Journal, apologising for his antisemitic behaviour. "I am not a Nazi or an antisemite," he wrote. He said bipolar disorder means when "you're manic, you don't think you'...