PM criticises charity for ‘airbrushing’ Churchill

Fellowship insists it is not disowning wartime leader’s legacy by removing his first name in rebrand

‘It is completely absurd, misguided and wrong to airbrush his service to this country’

BORIS JOHNSON has criticised the decision of a charity established to honour Winston Churchill to “airbrush” the wartime leader’s achievements in a website rebrand.

The Churchill Fellowship insisted it was not “disowning” the former prime minister by changing its name from the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust, but trying to make it less “confusing”.

A website featuring the updated name and logo was launched earlier this year, but a tribute to Churchill had been scaled back, along with a list of his achievements and a biography. All images of him had vanished.

It has fuelled suspicion that the charity is distancing itself from Churchill as public debate continues to rage over his legacy, which critics claim is tarnished by racist remarks.

Yesterday, the Prime Minister – who has written a biography of Churchill – expressed concern. His official spokesman said: “The Prime Minister believes that Winston Churchill was a hero who helped save this country and the whole of Europe from a fascist and a racist tyranny by leading the defeat of Nazism.

“It is completely absurd, misguided and wrong to airbrush his giant achievements and service to this country. The trust should think again.”

Sir Nicholas Soames, Churchill’s grandson, defended the charity, which awards grants to British people pursuing social and community causes. He said that the row reflected “pathetic culture wars that are idiotic”, adding: “The Churchill family have total, 100 per cent confidence in the fellowship. It gives fellowships to people in this country who would never have a chance to travel other than through a scholarship and it enables them to travel and study a specific thing in their lives. It is the living memorial to Winston Churchill.”

The charity is understood to have been planning to change its name since 2016 and decided to rebrand as the Churchill Fellowship in 2019.

A spokesman yesterday said that the decision was “absolutely nothing to do with controversy in the public space”.

It came after several sources at the charity told The Sun that a “Leftie woke” agenda was being pursued by its chief executive, Julia Weston, who took over in 2015. The charity’s spokesman said the pictures of Churchill were removed for “immensely mundane” reasons.

He claimed the charity had “very happily” put the photos back on its website yesterday, “to demonstrate that we have absolutely no issue with our connection to Winston Churchill”.

The Churchill Fellowship said: “Last month we simplified our name. We did so not because we are disowning Sir Winston, but because over many years we have found that, in a simple practical sense, the name was confusing to people and did not explain what we do.”

It is understood the charity, under its previous name, found itself having to field inquiries from members of the public who assumed it was a historical archive, or a heritage organisation.