UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer claims Kneecap Glastonbury show is "not appropriate"

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has claimed that Kneecap's upcoming appearance at the Glastonbury Festival is "not appropriate".

In an interview with The Sun, Starmer was asked if he thought the Belfast rap group should perform at Glastonbury. He replied, "No, I don't, and I think we need to come down really clearly on this.

"This is about the threats that shouldn't be made. I won't say too much because there's a court case on, but I don't think that's appropriate," claimed Starmer.

His statements come after group member Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, who performs as Mo Chara, was charged with a terror offence for allegedly displaying a Hezbollah flag at a London show in November 2024.

Last Wednesday, Ó hAnnaidh appeared in Westminster Magistrates' Court, with the hearing being postponed until later in the year. Hundreds of fans gathered outside the court, showing support for the Irish hip hop group.

Mo Chara was released on unconditional bail until the hearing on 20 August.

Similarly to Starmer, Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch called on the BBC to not broadcast the band's Glastonbury set.

Badenoch's post on X read:

"The BBC should not be showing Kneecap propaganda. One Kneecap band member is currently on bail, charged under the Terrorism Act. As a publicly funded platform, the BBC should not be rewarding extremism."

The BBC should not be showing Kneecap propaganda.

One Kneecap band member is currently on bail, charged under the Terrorism Act.

As a publicly funded platform the BBC should not be rewarding extremism. pic.twitter.com/KqUGypvO98

— Kemi Badenoch (@KemiBadenoch) June 21, 2025

This, of course, is not the first dispute between Badenoch and the Belfast rap group.

In 2024, Kneecap won a discrimination case against the UK government in Belfast High Court after then minister Badenoch decided to cancel a £14,250 funding award that had been made to the group.

After Starmer's interview, Kneecap took to Instagram to share a screenshot of his claims, receiving support from fans and former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar in the comments.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by KNEECAP (@kneecap32)

Vradkar defended the Belfast trio, writing, "I really thought this was some sort of gag. It’s the role of artists to be avant guarde, inappropriate, challenging, disruptive - from James Joyce to Sex Pistols and Playboy.

"Politicians really should not try to censor this. If an offence was committed, let the courts decide. In the mean time, the rule of law says the accused is innocent until proven guilty," he concluded, earning a like from Kneecap themselves.