Summary of this article
Pepsi has announced its withdrawal as the main sponsor of the Wireless Festival in London, which was set to be headlined by Kanye West.
The US rapper has received criticism for his antisemitic comments in recent years.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer had earlier said that it was "deeply concerning" that West was set to headline the London event.
Pepsi and Diageo cancelled sponsorship of the UK music Festival where Kanye West was set to headline three nights of the forthcoming event in North London. This comes after UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer slammed Wireless Festival for booking Kanye West, now known as Ye, after his antisemitic remarks.
Starmer said it was “deeply concerning” that the controversial US rapper is headlining the event in July. The concert was supposed to take place at Finsbury Park in London.
Pepsi and Diageo withdraw as UK festival sponsor after Kanye West backlash
According to a report in The Guardian, a Pepsi spokesperson said, “Pepsi has decided to withdraw its sponsorship of Wireless festival.”
Diageo, owner of the Johnnie Walker and Captain Morgan brands, told the Press Association, “We have informed the organisers of our concerns, and as it stands, Diageo will not sponsor the 2026 Wireless festival.”
What Stramer said about West
Starmer said, “It is deeply concerning that Kanye West has been booked to perform at Wireless despite his previous antisemitic remarks and celebration of nazism.
“Antisemitism in any form is abhorrent and must be confronted clearly and firmly wherever it appears. Everyone has a responsibility to ensure Britain is a place where Jewish people feel safe and secure,” he added, as reported by the Sun on Sunday.
Ed Davey, the Liberal Democrat leader, also asked the government to ban the rapper from entering the UK. “We need to get tougher on antisemitism,” he said, describing West’s planned appearance as “extremely serious”.
In 2024–2025, West (Ye) made several statements regarding Nazis and Hitler, on social media and in interviews. He also praised Hitler, saying "every human being has something of value... especially Hitler"
After facing backlash, he issued a full-page apology in January 2026, where he apologised to Jewish and black people, saying that his bipolar disorder had led him to fall into “a four-month-long, manic episode of psychotic, paranoid and impulsive behaviour that destroyed my life”.
