Macklemore at Wembley: what the 50 peers' letter means for UK entry bans

Fifty peers wrote to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood urging her to ban Macklemore from Britain and revoke his electronic travel authorisation ahead of his Free Palestine tour. The letter, written by Baron Walney, the Government's former adviser on political violence, called the concert "not conducive to the public good." The peers objected in part because some proceeds would go to the Palestinian Youth Movement, which they say has celebrated and has links to terrorist organisations. The PYM denies those allegations.

On Friday night, Macklemore — Benjamin Haggerty — played Wembley Arena anyway. The London stop of his sold-out benefit tour went ahead, and he addressed the letter from the stage. "Regardless of what them 50 Lords have to say," he said, "this is a story of equality for all human beings around this earth."

Macklemore was removed from Ed Sheeran's summer US tour after making a pro-Palestine speech at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. He announced the Free Palestine Tour in September 2026, with proceeds going to charities "supporting the Palestinian people and movement." The Dublin date featured unannounced guests including Kneecap and Hozier, plus video messages from Mark Ruffalo and Cynthia Nixon. Pink publicly explained her earlier repost calling for Macklemore to be dropped from the Sheeran tour, saying she was standing up for her own people as a Jewish woman.

The episode tests whether peers and elected officials can effectively block a foreign artist's entry over a benefit concert's politics and its recipient — and whether the resulting publicity strengthens or silences the artist's platform. It also puts arts funding, protest speech, and counter-terrorism designations on a collision course.

What is clear is that a letter from 50 peers did not stop the show. Macklemore turned the attempt into part of his set, and the Wembley date sold out.