Pepsi and Diageo have abruptly ended their sponsorships of London’s Wireless Festival after Kanye West was named headliner, sparking a political outcry over his history of antisemitic remarks.
The rapper, now known as Ye, will take the stage for all three nights of the popular rap and R&B event at Finsbury Park from 10 to 12 July. Organisers Festival Republic, who have run the festival since 2005 to crowds of 45,000, describe it as a three-night journey through his most iconic records, boosted by three tracks from his recent March album Bully now charting in the UK top 100.
Previously branded Pepsi presents Wireless, the event has lost its lead backer amid backlash. West’s controversies include 2022 X bans for posts like one merging a swastika and Star of David while threatening to go “death con 3 On Jewish people,” plus a white lives matter T-shirt at Paris Fashion Week that cost him his Adidas partnership.
Last year, Australia denied him entry over a Heil Hitler song and Nazi-themed merchandise. Though he apologised via a November 2025 meeting with Rabbi Yoshiyahu Yosef Pinto and a January Wall Street Journal ad—”I am not a Nazi or an antisemite.”
“I regret and am deeply mortified by my actions in that state,” he added.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer condemned the booking as deeply concerning despite his previous antisemitic remarks and celebration of Nazism. “Antisemitism in any form is abhorrent and must be confronted firmly wherever it appears,” he said. “Everyone has a responsibility to ensure Britain is a place where Jewish people feel safe.”
Diageo halted support as it stands for Johnnie Walker and Captain Morgan. “We have informed the organisers of our concerns and as it stands, Diageo will not sponsor the 2026 Wireless festival,” a spokesperson confirmed.
Opposition leaders joined in. Liberal Democrat Sir Ed Davey demanded a ban, urging the UK to get tougher on antisemitism in this extremely serious matter. Conservative Kemi Badenoch told LBC we must stop the rise in hatred by not platforming such figures. Reform UK’s Nigel Farage said, “Personally I wouldn’t buy a ticket.”
The Board of Deputies of British Jews called for West’s exclusion, while no Home Office visa bid has emerged. London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan’s team noted the artist’s past is offensive and unreflective of city values, a choice for organisers alone.