Winston Churchill charity ditches his first name from website over his ‘views on race’

A charity set up to continue the legacy of Winston Churchill has erased his first name and pictures of him from its website.

Britain’s wartime prime minister is credited for delivering a string of inspirational speeches to boost military morale and help defeat the Nazis.

But his views and policies as a leader on race and ethnicity have come under increased scrutiny in recent years.

One of the biggest bones of contention is whether he could have acted more decisively to prevent the Bengal Famine, which left three million dead in India in 1943.

Now the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust has dropped his first name to become the Churchill Fellowship, blaming his ‘unacceptable’ views on race.

A list of his achievements has been removed from the website, as well as a 1,400-word tribute that referenced a ‘much loved leader’ with a ‘bulldog spirit’.

His face no longer features on the site, and mentions of ‘Winston Churchill’ have been minimised.

A statement on the trust’s ‘our story’ page said: ‘Today there is controversy about aspects of Sir Winston’s life. Many of his views on race are widely seen as unacceptable today, a view that we share. 

‘At the same time, he is internationally admired for his wartime leadership in saving Britain and the world from Nazism.

‘We acknowledge the many issues and complexities involved on all sides, but do not accept racism of any kind.

‘As a forward-looking charity aiming to improve lives throughout the UK, what we take from Sir Winston’s example are values for the future: global learning, public service and, above all, a belief in the potential of all individuals.’

The trust hands out grants and fellowships to advance learning in different fields. It was set up on the day after Churchill’s funeral in 1965.

Its volunteers said the change was ‘rewriting history’. One told the Sun: ‘ He was voted, by the people, as the greatest Briton in a BBC poll in 2002 but is now erased from his own charity by the woke brigade.

‘You can’t imagine what he would have to say about it all but I’m sure he wouldn’t think it was Britain’s finest hour.

‘It beggars belief that the man who saved this nation in our darkest hour finds himself cancelled in this way.’

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