Keir Starmer should do more to stop radical Islamists coming to Britain rather than banning celebrities like Kanye West, ex-Tory minister says

Keir Starmer should do more to stop radical Islamists coming to the UK rather than focusing on celebrities such as Kanye West, a former Conservative minister has said.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood yesterday blocked the rapper from entering the UK to perform at the Wireless Festival because his presence ‘would not be conducive to the public interest’.

Festival organizers cancel the event in LondonFinsbury Park Less than an hour after West appeared, it would be blocked and ticket holders would be refunded, he said.

Former environment minister Sir Ranil Jayawardena condemned the West’s anti-Semitic outbursts but suggested there should be more focus on banning and deporting Islamists who pose a greater threat to the UK.

“I am in favor of Britain and the British government doing whatever they can to control who is in this country if their presence would not be in the public interest,” he said. Great Britain News.

‘Shabana Mahmood appears to be doing a very good job of strengthening our laws in the face of huge opposition from her own backbenchers.

‘But the question I will ask is this; ‘If we’re going to stop Kanye West from coming to this country, then why don’t we stop more Islamic hate preachers and others from coming into the country and doing what they want to do?’

Ms Mahmood has banned several Islamist preachers from entering the UK in recent months, including Shadee Elmasry, who defended Hamas following the October 7 terrorist attack on Israel.

However, concerns have been repeatedly raised about foreign extremists arriving in the UK illegally, including on small boats across the Channel, before using human rights laws to avoid deportation.

About 170 people who pose a threat to public safety are currently housed under restrictions across the country, according to government documents revealed late last year.

It was reported that more than half of these people were ‘involved in activities linked to terrorism or extremism’ and some were under 24-hour surveillance.

Currently, asylum seekers and foreign criminals avoid repatriation after claiming the right to family life.

This right is regulated in Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, of which the United Kingdom is a member.

Ms Mahmood has promised an overhaul of human rights laws and tougher controls on immigration, but she faces a rebellion from Labor backbenchers led by Angela Rayner.

Sir Ranil said ‘tougher’ measures should be taken against people coming to the UK illegally.

‘Obviously it’s also very important to distinguish between British citizens and non-British citizens,’ he said.

‘And whether we like it or not, a British citizen who believes and preaches terrible things still has a right to be here.

‘But we need to be tougher in taking action against people who are here even though they don’t have permission.’

Pressure was mounting on the Government to ban West for his anti-Semitic behaviour, including releasing a song called Heil Hitler and selling swastika T-shirts.

There were crowds at Wireless last year. West was set to headline all three days of the festival

Live Nation, the world’s largest concert promoter, spent months of planning and gambling and millions of dollars to rehabilitate the artist.

Executives from the giant global company, which deals with the O2 stadiums in the UK and festivals including The Isle of Wight, Reading and Leeds, flew from Los Angeles last month to watch West play in Mexico in a bid to get him to come to Europe.

A source told the Daily Mail: ‘He asked for and received $15m (£11.4m) to play three nights on Wireless. At that late point they still hadn’t managed to make headlines.

‘Live Nation should be able to get the full $15 million back because their contract states that it is the artist’s responsibility to obtain a visa. They believe they can get their money back because the decision was made by the Minister of Internal Affairs.

‘They don’t think this is as big of a disaster as it could be, but good luck getting Kanye to pay you back.’

West, 48, applied for an electronic travel authorization (ETA) on Monday, which was initially granted because Wireless was on a list of unauthorized festivals whose artists do not require work visas.

However, after the Minister of Internal Affairs intervened yesterday and blocked its entry, the organizers canceled the entire event, which was planned to take place in July.

After the event was filmed, Sir Keir said West ‘should never have been invited to head Wireless’.

He added: ‘This Government stands 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 necessary steps to protect the public and uphold our values.’