Wireless is facing another blow with its main sponsor pulling the plug a day after Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer branded the decision to have Kanye West headline ‘deeply concerning’

10:21, 05 Apr 2026Updated 13:03, 05 Apr 2026

(Image: Getty Images for Fast Company)

The main sponsors of Wireless have cut ties with the festival following mounting backlash surrounding headliner Kanye West. It comes after Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the decision to have the rapper perform at the Finsbury Park music festival ‘deeply concerning’ following his antisemitic behaviour.

“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.”

Hours after Sir Keir’s statement, a Pepsi spokesperson told the Mirror: “Pepsi has decided to withdraw its sponsorship of Wireless Festival.”

The festival had been officially named “Pepsi MAX presents Wireless” with the brand’s partnership with the north London festival dating back to 2015. However, the relationship is no more with Pepsi distancing themselves after West was revealed as the headliner for all three nights this July.

The booking marks West’s return to the UK music scene after an eleven-year hiatus, since headlining Glastonbury in 2015. He has drawn widespread criticism in recent years after he began voicing admiration for Adolf Hitler and made a series of antisemitic remarks. Last year, he released a song called “Heil Hitler”, only a few months after advertising a Swastika T-shirt for sale on his website.

Celebrities have also weighed in on the decision to have West headline the UK festival. Little Britain’s Matt Lucas posted on X: “Have you released a song called ‘Heil Hitler’? Have you sold t-shirts with swastikas on them? Have you promised to go ‘death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE’? If so, congratulations! You may be eligible to headline Wireless Fest sponsored by Pepsi UK .”

A source said: “Following the mounting backlash surrounding the announcement and Sir Keir Starmer speaking out, Pepsi’s position as festival sponsor became untenable. Festivals are about bringing people together, the only decision was to withdraw with Kanye West topping the bill.”

The Mirror has contacted Wireless and Kanye West for comment.

The 48-year-old rapper’s appearance at Wireless comes amid fears of growing antisemitism within the UK. In March, four ambulances from a Jewish community-run service were set on fire in north-west London. Two men and a 17-year-old boy were remanded in custody on Saturday after appearing in court accused of torching the vehicles. In October last year, two men were killed in an attack on a Manchester synagogue.

West apologised in January for his antisemitic comments in a letter published as a full-page advert in the Wall Street Journal newspaper. In his 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”.

Following his racist remarks, numerous brands and companies severed ties with him including Adidas, Balenciaga and Gap. Fashion magazine Vogue and its former editor-in-chief Anna Wintour stated they would not work with him again.

This week he performed his first live shows in the US following his antisemitic behaviour. He played to fans at SoFi Stadium, near Los Angeles, to coincide with the release of his new album, Bully. He performed in Mexico City this year, and is scheduled to appear in England, Italy and Spain this summer.

General sale tickets for Wireless go on sale on April 8 with day passes priced at £140.50, while a full weekend ticket will set you back £360.50. Two-day tickets can be purchased for £256.