M&S in pickle over LGBT sandwich

In simpler times, a Marks & Spencer sandwich meant egg and cress, prawn cocktail and, for the more adventurous, maybe a BLT.

But with the launch of its £3 lettuce, guacamole, bacon and tomato snack to mark this year’s gay Pride parade, the store seems to have bitten off more than it can chew.

The special edition sandwich, which is boxed in rainbow packaging, has had guacamole added to the traditional BLT so that the ingredients spell out the acronym LGBT, which for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender.

The company has also said it will donate more than £10,000 to charity as part of its campaign. But despite its best intentions, the sandwich, pictured, has sparked a backlash from shoppers and those within the LGBT community. Aaron Wright, an artistic director, wrote online: ‘I felt so enraged I left. Basically equating us to a sandwich? Can’t imagine them doing this with other marginalised groups.’ Another critic added: ‘‘Whilst it is ‘good’ a national company is raising awareness, this is blatant exploitation of a marginalised community for a huge profit.’

Piers Morgan even found time to weigh in, tweeting: ‘ Gay sandwiches? Is there no cynical virtue-signalling depth struggling companies won’t now plunge to make a profit?’ He then claimed the firm makes nearly £1,000 a minute, adding: ‘So this magnificent gesture of pathetic tokenism will take them around ten minutes to pay off...’

However, others were quick to praise Marks and & Spencer, including the charity which received a £10,000 donation. Carrie Reiners, from the Albert Kennedy Trust which supports homeless LGBT people, said: ‘We’re thrilled to see M&S show visible support for the LGBTQ+ community this Pride, and are extremely grateful. The donation will enable us to continue providing safe homes and better futures for the young LGBTQ+ people we work with.’ A further 1,000 euros will go to charity belong to Youth Services in Ireland.

A Marks & Spencer spokesman said: ‘The BLT is one of our mostloved sandwiches and we’re really excited to give it a delicious twist for our customers to enjoy while celebrating Pride season.’

n M&S is appealing against a court ruling that when it ‘gave away’ a bottle of wine with its Dine In for £10 deal, it should have been subject to VAT. It said the wine was ‘free’ so no tax was due, but HM Revenue & Customs argued it was a proportionate part of the £10 offer.

‘Exploitation for huge profit’