Fifty British peers have called on Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood to bar US rapper Macklemore from entering the UK ahead of a pro-Palestine concert in London, citing his plans to raise money for the Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM).
The letter, organised by Lord Walney, a former chairman of Labour Friends of Israel, urges Mahmood to revoke the artist’s electronic travel authorisation before his scheduled performance at the OVO Arena Wembley on 30 October. The peers argue that his presence would not be "conducive to the public good".
Macklemore, whose real name is Benjamin Haggerty, has pledged proceeds from his "Free Palestine Tour" to PYM. Shows in London, Dublin and Paris reportedly sold out shortly after tickets went on sale.
The intervention by the unelected lords seeks to use immigration powers to prevent a fundraising performance by one of the most prominent musicians supporting the Palestinian cause. The peers’ objections centre on PYM’s political campaigning and statements about the Hamas-led attacks of 7 October 2023.
"A foreign national proposes to come to Britain to raise money, from a British audience, for an organisation whose record of glorifying terrorism and of intimidating elected representatives should concern any government," the letter alleges, according to The Telegraph. PYM denies allegations that it celebrates terrorism or has links to terrorist organisations.
Several named signatories have established links to pro-Israel advocacy organisations. Alongside Walney, they include Lord Eric Pickles, whose parliamentary biography records his leadership of Conservative Friends of Israel in the Lords, and Lord David Pannick, a patron of UK Lawyers for Israel. The latter organisation campaigns against the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement and describes its mission as countering Israel’s "delegitimisation".
Other named signatories include former Northern Ireland first minister Arlene Foster, former Conservative 1922 Committee chairman Graham Brady, former minister Zac Goldsmith, and historian Andrew Roberts.
Walney, a former government adviser on political violence, also criticised PYM’s "siege on Labour" campaign, which sets out tactics for protests targeting party offices and elected representatives. He characterised such demonstrations as an attempt to coerce MPs "through fear".
The dispute follows Macklemore’s removal from Ed Sheeran’s US tour after he led pro-Palestinian chants at two New Jersey concerts in September. Several other supporting acts subsequently withdrew in solidarity.