London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Nov 30, 2025

‘Woke McCarthyism’ or right decision? Telegraph sacks columnist after her ‘racist’ joke about Harry & Meghan’s baby sparked furore

‘Woke McCarthyism’ or right decision? Telegraph sacks columnist after her ‘racist’ joke about Harry & Meghan’s baby sparked furore

Newspaper columnist Julie Burchill has been fired by the Telegraph after facetiously suggesting that Harry and Meghan should have named their new baby after George Floyd. Her sacking reignited debate about cancel culture.

The outspoken writer announced on Tuesday that she was axed by the outlet, without going into details about the circumstances of her departure. Although describing her five-year tenure at the paper as “lovely,” she hinted that the Telegraph had kept her on a short leash.

“I’d be lying if I said that I hadn’t often moaned to my husband recently about them always rejecting my edgy column ideas and giving me more pedestrian ones – which I’ve done splendidly anyway,” she wrote in a Facebook post.

Her sacking came after she was lambasted for a tweet in which she joked that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex should have named their newborn after Floyd, the black man who was killed at the hands of the Minneapolis police last year.

“What a missed opportunity. They could have called it Georgina Floydina!” Burchill wrote, adding: “Oprah Beyonce!” and “I was hoping for Doria Oprah, the racist rotters.” Her Twitter account no longer exists.

The joke appeared to be targeting Harry and Meghan’s vocal support for social justice causes. Many labeled the tweet as inappropriate and racist, while others argued that the couple were unscrupulous attention seekers and that the quip was well-deserved.

Her firing triggered a similar mix of reactions.

“Good! We need to look long and hard at ourselves as a country if public figures think it is OK to be racist towards a baby,” read one reply.


Others described Burchill as a “hateful” person who should be shunned. Several comments welcomed the news but predicted that the columnist would continue to spew her “bile” at a different newspaper.


Some observers saw Burchill’s sacking as an example of ‘woke’ witch hunting.

The Left classify anything that they find offensive as “racist,” one Twitter user remarked.

Others were more explicit with their disapproval.


“Those that believe that denouncing and sacking Julie Burchill, because she made a joke, is acceptable, are gleefully welcoming in a Maoist dawn,” commentator Abi Roberts wrote.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
White House launches ‘Hall of Shame’ site to publicly condemn media outlets for alleged bias
UK Budget’s New EV Mileage Tax Undercuts Case for Plug-In Hybrids
UK Government Launches National Inquiry into ‘Grooming Gangs’ After US Warning and Rising Public Outcry
Taylor Swift Extends U.K. Chart Reign as ‘The Fate of Ophelia’ Hits Six Weeks at No. 1
250 Still Missing in the Massive Fire, 94 Killed. One Day After the Disaster: Survivor Rescued on the 16th Floor
Trump: National Guard Soldier Who Was Shot in Washington Has Died; Second Soldier Fighting for His Life
UK Chancellor Reeves Defends Tax Rises as Essential to Reduce Child Poverty and Stabilise Public Finances
No Evidence Found for Claim That UK Schools Are Shifting to Teaching American English
European Powers Urge Israel to Halt West Bank Settler Violence Amid Surge in Attacks
"I Would Have Given Her a Kidney": She Lent Bezos’s Ex-Wife $1,000 — and Received Millions in Return
European States Approve First-ever Military-Grade Surveillance Network via ESA
UK to Slash Key Pension Tax Perk, Targeting High Earners Under New Budget
UK Government Announces £150 Annual Cut to Household Energy Bills Through Levy Reforms
UK Court Hears Challenge to Ban on Palestine Action as Critics Decry Heavy-Handed Measures
Investors Rush Into UK Gilts and Sterling After Budget Eases Fiscal Concerns
UK to Raise Online Betting Taxes by £1.1 Billion Under New Budget — Firms Warn of Fallout
Lamine Yamal? The ‘Heir to Messi’ Lost to Barcelona — and the Kingdom Is in a Frenzy
Warner Music Group Drops Suit Against Suno, Launches Licensed AI-Music Deal
HP to Cut up to 6,000 Jobs Globally as It Ramps Up AI Integration
MediaWorld Sold iPad Air for €15 — Then Asked Customers to Return Them or Pay More
UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer Promises ‘Full-Time’ Education for All Children as School Attendance Slips
UK Extends Sugar Tax to Sweetened Milkshakes and Lattes in 2028 Health Push
UK Government Backs £49 Billion Plan for Heathrow Third Runway and Expansion
UK Gambling Firms Report £1bn Surge in Annual Profits as Pressure Mounts for Higher Betting Taxes
UK Shares Advance Ahead of Budget as Financials and Consumer Staples Lead Gains
Domino’s UK CEO Andrew Rennie Steps Down Amid Strategic Reset
UK Economy Stalls as Reeves Faces First Budget Test
UK Economy’s Weak Start Adds Pressure on Prime Minister Starmer
UK Government Acknowledges Billionaire Exodus Amid Tax Rise Concerns
UK Budget 2025: Markets Brace as Chancellor Faces Fiscal Tightrope
UK Unveils Strategic Plan to Secure Critical Mineral Supply Chains
UK Taskforce Calls for Radical Reset of Nuclear Regulation to Cut Costs and Accelerate Build
UK Government Launches Consultation on Major Overhaul of Settlement Rules
Google Struggles to Meet AI Demand as Infrastructure, Energy and Supply-Chain Gaps Deepen
Car Parts Leader Warns Europe Faces Heavy Job Losses in ‘Darwinian’ Auto Shake-Out
Arsenal Move Six Points Clear After Eze’s Historic Hat-Trick in Derby Rout
Wealthy New Yorkers Weigh Second Homes as the ‘Mamdani Effect’ Ripples Through Luxury Markets
Families Accuse OpenAI of Enabling ‘AI-Driven Delusions’ After Multiple Suicides
UK Unveils Critical-Minerals Strategy to Break China Supply-Chain Grip
Taylor Swift’s “The Fate of Ophelia” Extends U.K. No. 1 Run to Five Weeks
UK VPN Sign-Ups Surge by Over 1,400 % as Age-Verification Law Takes Effect
Former MEP Nathan Gill Jailed for Over Ten Years After Taking Pro-Russia Bribes
Majority of UK Entrepreneurs Regard Government as ‘Anti-Business’, Survey Shows
UK’s Starmer and US President Trump Align as Geneva Talks Probe Ukraine Peace Plan
UK Prime Minister Signals Former Prince Andrew Should Testify to US Epstein Inquiry
Royal Navy Deploys HMS Severn to Shadow Russian Corvette and Tanker Off UK Coast
China’s Wedding Boom: Nightclubs, Mountains and a Demographic Reset
Fugees Founding Member Pras Michel Sentenced to 14 Years in High-Profile US Foreign Influence Case
WhatsApp’s Unexpected Rise Reshapes American Messaging Habits
United States: Judge Dressed Up as Elvis During Hearings – and Was Forced to Resign
×