London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Aug 18, 2026

‘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
China’s Lifelike AI Humans Move From Livestreams Into Real-World Service Roles
UK Government Rolls Out £5.8 Billion Regional Investment Programme to Revive High Streets
AstraZeneca Ends Late-Stage Lung Cancer Trial After Data Shows No Survival Benefit
London Stocks Fall for Sixth Day as Bond Yields and Middle East Tensions Weigh on Markets
UK Government Rewrites Planning Rules to Accelerate Housing Near Transport Hubs
UK Wildfires Spread Across Southern England as Met Office Issues Severe Heat Warnings
British Doctors Warn Cancer Care Is at Risk as Hospitals Reject More Than a Quarter of Urgent Referrals
UK Hospitals Suspend Critical Care as Extreme Heat Exposes Infrastructure Failures
Sarah Ferguson Reportedly Retreats to Late Ex-Boyfriend's Swiss Chalet
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez Sign Prenup Protecting Their Separate Fortunes
Thieves Steal Antonello da Messina Renaissance Masterpieces From Sicilian Museum
Better.com Founder Who Fired 900 Employees on Zoom Is Ousted as CEO
Italian Speed Camera Issues Nearly 32,000 Fines in 10 Weeks, Worth More Than €3 Million
AI Manager at San Francisco Store Recommends Firing Human Employee
Google Launches Pixel 11 With Gemini AI at the Center of Its Hardware Strategy
Campaigners Press Government to Strengthen Rights for Four Million Gig Workers
Government Considers Higher Private Rents to Spread Asylum Accommodation Across UK
UK Moves to Protect Historic Pubs From Conversion Into Housing and Offices
Nigel Farage Wins Clacton By-Election to Return to House of Commons
British Manufacturers Report Rising Cybersecurity Threats Across Industrial Supply Chains
Royal Navy Increases Monitoring of Russian Ships in UK Waters by 25 Percent
England Adds More Than 350 Medical Training Posts to Strengthen NHS Capacity
NHS Waiting Lists Over 52 Weeks Rise by More Than 11,000 Patients
Brent Crude Near $88 Raises Fresh UK Energy Cost Concerns
UK Treasury Warns Prolonged Strait of Hormuz Disruption Could Cut 2027 Growth to 0.3 Percent
UK Economy Grows 0.4 Percent in Second Quarter as Energy and Inflation Risks Persist
UK Heatwave Triggers Emergency Alert as Government Unveils £65 Million Farm Support Package
Reform UK Unveils Plan to Cut Welfare Spending by More Than £50 Billion a Year
Prime Minister Andy Burnham Praised Extinction Rebellion for Doing a 'Great Service'
UK Wildfire Phone Alert Triggers Backlash as Users Switch Off Emergency Warnings
Heathrow Roads Reopen After Burst Water Main Floods Access to Terminals 2 and 3
Former NBA Players Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White Say They Will Enter 2027 WNBA Draft
Former Cambridge Professor Jason Arday Found Dead Days After Resigning Amid Plagiarism Row
US Appeals Court Rules AI Agent's Website Actions Are Legally Attributed to the User
France's Constitutional Council Blocks Social Media Ban for Children Under 15
Liechtenstein Changes Royal Succession Rules to Allow Women to Inherit the Throne
Women Allege Rape and Sexual Abuse at British Army College for Teenage Recruits
Minnesota: Two independent investigators posed as Muslims (one wearing a burqa) and showed how they could vote in elections without identification.
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham Takes Regional Tour to Highlight Local Infrastructure and Environmental Problems
Nigel Farage Wins Clacton By-Election to Return to the House of Commons
Bank of England Warns Rising Inflation Could Squeeze UK Household Incomes
UK Government Announces £65 Million Aid Package for Farmers Hit by Severe Drought
UK Economy Grows 0.4% in Second Quarter Despite Energy Market Pressures
UK Issues Emergency Alert as Severe Wildfires Spread Across England and Wales
UK and Finland Discuss European Defence and Continued Support for Ukraine
Nigel Farage Wins Clacton By-Election to Return to the House of Commons
UK Government Deploys Military to Help Fight Wildfires and Bans Disposable Barbecues
UK Records Hottest Day of the Year as Fifth Summer Heatwave Peaks in Southern England
UK Condemns Houthi Actions and Warns of Red Sea Threat to Global Trade
UK and Solomon Islands Open Wildlife Photography Exhibition in Honiara
×