British politicians urge government to let Macklemore perform in UK despite peers' ban call

Several British politicians have called on the government to resist pressure to bar US rapper Macklemore from entering the country. They made the comments to Middle East Eye ahead of his scheduled concert at Wembley in London on Thursday, which is intended to raise money for Palestine.

Over the weekend, a group of 50 peers signed a letter to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood asking her to revoke the rapper's electronic travel authorisation. They argued that his presence would not be "conducive to the public good", citing views expressed by the Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM), one of the organisations benefiting from his tour. The peers said the PYM's position that "when people are occupied, resistance is justified" amounted to "glorifying terrorism", an accusation the group has strenuously denied.

The letter was organised by Lord Walney, a former chair of Labour Friends of Israel and a prominent advocate for banning the direct action group Palestine Action. It also described a 2025 PYM campaign to pressure Labour politicians over Palestine as an "attempt to coerce members of parliament through fear", which the PYM has also denied.

Mothin Ali, deputy leader of the Green Party, said the UK values freedom of speech as one of its highest held freedoms. He called the campaign "worryingly authoritarian", pointing to the case of Sally Rooney, whose books were withdrawn from the UK market. "He should be celebrated not demonised," Ali said of the rapper.

Independent MP Zarah Sultana expressed full solidarity with Macklemore and said it was wrong for fifty unelected peers to demand a ban. She described the push as an attack on freedom of expression that sends a chilling message to artists, and said the home secretary must make clear that solidarity with Palestine is no grounds for exclusion. Independent MP Adnan Hussain said that "art has always been political" and that an artist's right to perform should not be suppressed because the message makes those in power uncomfortable.

Labour MP Kim Johnson said the letter showed "whose interests some peers serve" and called it an outrageous attempt to silence legitimate criticism of Israel. Independent MP Ayoub Khan said British charities were sending millions to illegal Israeli settlements and that he had not seen the 50 peers raise concerns about that. Another independent MP, Shockat Adam, urged Mahmood not to stand in the way of the concert or the donations it will raise.

Macklemore, whose real name is Benjamin Haggerty, made international headlines last month after Ed Sheeran dropped him from his US tour, allegedly over pro-Palestinian remarks on stage. He performed his song Hind's Hall, which condemns Israel's actions in Gaza, and was filmed saying: "Criticism of Israel, criticism of apartheid, being against genocide, is in no way a criticism of you." He then announced a "Free Palestine" tour, which opened on Monday in Dublin and moves to Paris later this week before reaching London.

The tour is raising money for Medical Aid for Palestinians, the US arm of Unrwa, the Palestine Children's Relief Fund and the Palestinian Youth Movement.

The dispute follows other free speech rows in the UK. Sally Rooney's books were withdrawn from the UK market after she said she would use proceeds from sales to support Palestine Action, which the Labour government proscribed in July 2025. Support for or membership of the group is now a criminal offence carrying a prison sentence of up to 14 years. Earlier this year, the government also drew controversy by banning American political commentators Hasan Piker and Cenk Uygur from entering the country, reportedly over their criticisms of Israel.