Kanye West BLOCKED from entering UK as 'presence would not be conducive to public good' amid Wireless row

Alex Davies
Tue, 07 Apr 2026 12:37:02 +0000

Kanye West has been blocked from entering the UK ahead of his controversial Wireless Festival headline stint.

The hip-hop artist has been prevented from entering the UK on the grounds that his "presence would not be conducive to public good".

The decision comes just hours after Mr West issued a statement addressing the furore surrounding his spot at the festival following a series of antisemitic social media posts and outbursts last year.

The news may come as a surprise to some after Melvin Benn, managing director at Festival Republic, which promotes Wireless Festival, said Mr West had been granted visa status in the "last few days".

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Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Tuesday morning, Mr Benn said: “He has a visa already issued to appear, to come into the country, and the Home Secretary may well rescind that today, I don’t know.

“If she does, she does, and then the issue is over in terms of his appearance.”

However, GB News understands that Mr West does not hold a valid Electronic Travel Authorisation.

The Home Office's decision also comes in the wake of Mr West offering to meet with the British Jewish community ahead of proposed performances at Wireless Festival.

He said in a statement: “I’ve been following the conversation around Wireless and want to address it directly.

“My only goal is to come to London and present a show of change, bringing unity, peace, and love through my music.

“I would be grateful for the opportunity to meet with members of the Jewish community in the UK in person, to listen.

“I know words aren’t enough – I’ll have to show change through my actions. If you’re open, I’m here.”

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Following the Home Office's decision, the Campaign Against Antisemitism issued a statement. A spokesperson said: “The Government has clearly made the right decision here.

"For once, when it said that antisemitism has no place in the UK, it backed up its words with action.

"Someone who has boasted of making tens of millions of dollars from selling swastika t-shirts and who released a song called ‘Heil Hitler’ just months ago clearly would not be conducive to the public good in the UK.

"Wireless Festival, in its desperate quest for profit, defended the invitation until the end. That is shameful, and its sponsors should continue to stay away.”

Among many of the controversial antics that sparked furore was Mr West releasing a song called Heil Hitler and advertising a swastika T-shirt for sale on his website.

He has also faced bans from X for publishing series after series of antisemitic posts.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer had previously weighed in on the saga, branding the decision to have him headline the Wireless Festival as "deeply concerning".

Several sponsors have also withdrawn their support from the festival following backlash to Mr West's involvement.

Pepsi, Rockstar Energy and Diageo withdrew their sponsorship of the festival after Mr West was announced as the headline act.

Meanwhile, PayPal, which is a payment partner for the annual rap and hip-hop festival, will no longer appear in any of its future promotional materials.

Mr West has previously apologised for his antisemitic outbursts and antics, citing his mental health battles as a factor in his behaviour.

In January, the Gold Digger hitmaker took out a full-page advert in the Wall Street Journal to share his apology to the Jewish community.

Titled “To Those I’ve Hurt", the apology read: "I am not a Nazi or an antisemite. I love Jewish people.”

Elsewhere, in the letter, he said his bipolar disorder led him to fall into "a four-month-long, manic episode of psychotic, paranoid and impulsive behaviour that destroyed my life".