Farage 'leading culture war' with Kanye comments, Harriet Harman says

Former deputy Labour leader Harriet Harman has accused Nigel Farage of "leading a culture war" after his response to the government's decision to bar Kanye West from the UK.

She told Sky's Electoral Dysfunction podcast that the Reform UK leader's opposition to the move on free speech grounds is "deplorable", and questioned his commitment to eradicating antisemitism in Britain.

The Home Office announced on Tuesday that the US rapper, who now calls himself Ye, has been denied permission to come to the UK on the grounds that his presence would not be "conducive to the public good".

The decision came after days of outrage that he had been booked to headline the Wireless Festival in July, despite his history of antisemitic and pro-Nazi statements, including a Super Bowl advert directing people to a swastika T-shirt, and a song praising Hitler.

Sir Keir Starmer said West "should never have been invited to headline Wireless", which has now been cancelled, and that the government "stands firmly with the Jewish community, and we will not stop in our fight to confront and defeat the poison of antisemitism".

"We will always take the action necessary to protect the public and uphold our values," he said.

But Mr Farage took a different position on West's booking, arguing that the rapper should not be penalised for speech.

"I wouldn't buy a ticket, I wouldn't recommend anyone buy a ticket. I think his comments are vile, really vile. The sort of rabbit hole antisemitism, stroke Nazism, that he's gone down is vile," the Reform UK leader said.

"But I think if we start banning people from entering the country because we don't like what they say, I worry where that ends up.

"If Keir Starmer was to ban people coming into Britain, with whose views he doesn't like, almost everybody wouldn't be allowed in. I think it's a dangerous path to go down."

Read more:
Wireless cancelled after West blocked from UK
Farage antisemitism allegations 'profoundly distressing'

He added that he would not ban people from the UK "even if I think what they say is thoroughly objectionable, unless, of course, the line's crossed and you see direct incitement of violence".

But Baroness Harman forcefully condemned Mr Farage's position, telling the Electoral Dysfunction podcast: "I think it's so deplorable that Nigel Farage is saying, you know, he's trying to lead a culture war against this.

"I mean, what kind of society does Nigel Farage want us to be living in? Is he really happy for us to be in a society where you have to worry if your kids are going to a Jewish school, about the security around that school, that if you're going to worship at a synagogue, you have to worry about the security of that synagogue.

"You know, these are issues for all of us, not just for the Jewish community."

Reform UK has been contacted for comment.

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While Mr Farage has been a staunch defender of Israel and condemned rising antisemitism in the UK, he has faced accusations that he made racist and antisemitic comments to fellow pupils at school.

He has forcefully defended himself against the claims, saying he "never directly racially abused anybody" at Dulwich College and said there is a "strong political element" to the allegations coming out 49 years later.

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