London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Jun 20, 2025

The feeling’s mutual: Co-op and The Spectator cancel each other over ‘transphobia’ ad row

The feeling’s mutual: Co-op and The Spectator cancel each other over ‘transphobia’ ad row

When a British supermarket advertised in a conservative magazine, a band of activists took offense and got the ads pulled, but not before the magazine banned the supermarket for life. Welcome to mutually-assured cancellation.

The Spectator is a widely read conservative magazine, and Co-op is Britain’s fifth-largest supermarket by market share. When activists with ‘Stop Funding Hate’ noticed a Co-op advertisement in The Spectator’s pages last week, they demanded that the supermarket sever its relationship with the publication, calling the magazine “toxic and inflammatory.”


The group’s tweet received only limited attention, but one transgender woman managed to get Co-op’s attention, accusing the supermarket of funding “transphobia in The Spectator” and claiming that the magazine prints “overwhelmingly hostile” articles about trans people.



Co-op responded on Thursday, saying that “we are taking up the issue with them with a view to them not using this publication again in the future.”


The story at this point is a familiar one: outraged activists push a company into withdrawing ads from media they disagree with. American businesses advertising with Fox News’ Laura Ingraham, Tucker Carlson and Sean Hannity have been targeted in similar boycott campaigns, while journalists themselves have occasionally jumped on board the boycott bandwagon – as CNN did recently when it named and shamed firms that refused to stop advertising on Facebook (which has been accused of turning a blind eye to hate speech on its platform).

Spectator editor Andrew Neil saw Co-op’s withdrawal and raised it. “No need to bother,” Neil tweeted on Friday, after the supermarket announced it would speak to the magazine about withdrawing the ads. “As of today you are henceforth banned from advertising in The Spectator, in perpetuity. We will not have companies like yours use their financial might to try to influence our editorial content, which is entirely a matter for the editor.”


Call it mutually-assured cancellation. Co-op denied itself valuable exposure to please the social justice brigade, and The Spectator denied itself ad revenue to maintain its conservative editorial line.

Reaction to the news was split on culture-war lines too, with online lefties pledging to buy their quinoa and soy milk from Co-op in solidarity, and the grumbling right buying Spectator subscriptions to back their beloved “transphobic” mag.


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
FBI and Senate Investigate Allegations of Chinese Plot to Influence the 2020 Election in Biden’s Favor Using Fake U.S. Driver’s Licenses
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
Plans to Sell Dutch Embassy in Bangkok Face Local Opposition
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump's $5 Million 'Trump Card' Visa Program Draws Nearly 70,000 Applicants
DGCA Finds No Major Safety Concerns in Air India's Boeing 787 Fleet
Airlines Reroute Flights Amid Expanding Middle East Conflict Zones
Elon Musk's xAI Seeks $9.3 Billion in Funding Amid AI Expansion
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Taiwan Imposes Export Ban on Chips to Huawei and SMIC
Israel has just announced plans to strike Tehran again, and in response, Trump has urged people to evacuate
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Juncker Criticizes EU Inaction on Trump Tariffs
EU Proposes Ban on New Russian Gas Contracts
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
Energy Infrastructure Becomes War Zone in Middle East
UK Home Secretary Apologizes Over Child Grooming Failures
Trump Organization Launches 5G Mobile Network and Golden Handset
Towcester Hosts 2025 English Greyhound Derby Amid Industry Scrutiny
Gary Oldman and David Beckham Knighted in King's Birthday Honours
Over 30,000 Lightning Strikes Recorded Across UK During Overnight Storms
Princess of Wales Returns to Public Duties at Trooping the Colour
Red Arrows Use Sustainable Fuel in Historic Trooping the Colour Flypast
Former Welsh First Minister Addresses Unionist Concerns Over Irish Language
Iran Signals Openness to Nuclear Negotiations Amid Ongoing Regional Tensions
France Bars Israeli Arms Companies from Paris Defense Expo
King Charles Leads Tribute to Air India Crash Victims at Trooping the Colour
Jack Pitchford Embarks on 200-Mile Walk to Support Stem Cell Charity
Surrey Hikers Take on Challenge of Climbing 11 Peaks in a Single Day
UK Deploys RAF Jets to Middle East Amid Israel-Iran Tensions
Two Skydivers Die in 'Tragic Accident' at Devon Airfield
Sainsbury's and Morrisons Accused of Displaying Prohibited Tobacco Ads
UK Launches National Inquiry into Grooming Gangs
Families Seek Closure After Air India Crash
Gold Emerges as Global Safe Haven Amid Uncertainty
Trump Reports $57 Million Earnings from Crypto Venture
Trump's Military Parade Sparks Concerns Over Authoritarianism
Nationwide 'No Kings' Protests Challenge Trump's Leadership
UK Deploys Jets to Middle East Amid Rising Tensions
Trump's Anti-War Stance Tested Amid Israel-Iran Conflict
Germany Holds First Veterans Celebration Since WWII
U.S. Health Secretary Dismisses CDC Vaccine Advisory Committee
Minnesota Lawmaker Melissa Hortman and Husband Killed in Targeted Attack; Senator John Hoffman and Wife Injured
Exiled Iranian Prince Reza Pahlavi Urges Overthrow of Khamenei Regime
×