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More than a century ago, Britain was seen as an ideal place. It advanced science, including medicine. It built industries such as railroads, major bridges, and created a strong middle class. And despite what some people say, it was the only major empire that abolished slavery and, at considerable expense of its own, patrolled the oceans to ensure that other countries did not enslave people. And it had the largest navy in the world. Now, many say, it all seems like a distant memory.
The latest controversy involves photographs or statues of some of the United Kingdom’s most admired people. The face of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill during World War II is being removed from a five-pound note by the Bank of England. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage called the decision “absolutely cracker”, noting that the proposal was to replace Churchill and others with a picture of a beaver.
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Churchill’s statue in Westminster was vandalized in 2020 and again last month. Churchill led the defense of Britain, the only country in Europe that did not fall during World War II.
“Decades of education policy have taught people to deny and condemn the history of this country because it is perceived as oppressive, racist, and unfair,” Alan Mendoza, founder and executive director of the Henry Jackson Society, told Fox News Digital. He says teaching labor unions, controlled by the radical left, have imposed their agenda on generations of students. “Therefore, it is not surprising that at least some of his victims have internalized this philosophy and are acting on it.”
In this photo illustration, some £5 bank notes, including the image of Winston Churchill, are displayed on a table. (Sheldon Cooper/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Statues of British people who lived centuries ago have been targeted for demolition and then destruction. Some of these efforts have been successful. Some have not. According to Sky News, William Gladstone, Robert Peel, James Cook and Francis Drake were targeted for destruction by activists. These men were, respectively, a reformist Prime Minister, the founder of the police force, a naval explorer and a private individual. Fortunately, his statues remain largely intact.
Now William Shakespeare is under attack. Apparently, being white is a bad thing, and some people say that the Bard was actually a black woman. The activist summary is that Shakespeare can be used to advocate white nationalism.
These attempts to erase high-achieving Britons from history may seem trivial, GB News presenter Matt Goodwin wrote on X. “It matters more than many people realize,” he wrote. “Across the Western world, the classification of diversity, equality and inclusion [DEI] Bureaucrats, radical activists and increasingly compliant public institutions are engaged in a cultural project that seeks to delegitimize our national identity.”
The statue of Sir Winston Churchill, which was defaced overnight with red paint and the words “Free Palestine” in Parliament Square, London, on February 27, 2026. (Reuters/Carlos Jaiso)
It is not just statues and images that have been targeted. Flying your own country’s flag can get you in trouble. Leftists in Britain, such as supporters of the Labor Party, often view the flying of the United Kingdom’s Union Jack flag, or St George’s Cross, as racist or anti-immigrant.
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“The voices of DEI and immigrants have become so strong that any sign of Glorious Britain is condemned,” Ben Habib, founder of the Advance UK political party, told Fox News Digital. “DEI can’t tolerate strong nations – it wants them torn apart so minorities can feel ‘home’.”
Habib also notes that there is an additional complication with the Union Jack and St. George’s Cross – they both represent Christian saints. “This is an insult to the growing number of people in Britain who practice foreign religions,” he told Fox News Digital.
British MP Robert Jenrick climbs a post to raise the British flag in Newark, UK. (via Robert Jenrick x)
This flag-hatred started after the attack on Israel by the Iran-backed terrorist organization Hamas. This followed an increase in the number of Palestinian flags being flown on public buildings in Britain. This upset some British patriots, who came out with British flags. “We need to start uniting around national stories and symbols, and the flag is the most visual way to do that,” British culture commentator Colin Brazier previously told Fox News Digital.
Planning authorities, usually local UK councils, do not require people to allow people to fly the Union Jack flag or St George’s Cross. Other flags are seen as advertisements. However, it is not allowed to spray-paint a St. George’s Cross on a building that is not yours.
Despite the George Cross being seen as anti-immigrant in Britain, the historical St George, who died about 1,700 years ago, is mentioned in the Quran as a friend of Moses. And some religious scholars suggest that he is a servant of God.
Detail of a portrait of William Shakespeare presented by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust in central London on 9 March 2009. (Lefteris Pitarakis/AP Photo)
At the same time, the UK economy has slowed to a near halt under the current centre-left Starmer government. According to Trading Economics data, the unemployment rate rose to 5.4% in December from 3.6% in August 2022. The country’s GDP growth is stuck at 1% or less from the first quarter of 2022.
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One reason for the haste to raise the flag may be Britain’s disastrous economy. A classic, poorly thought out government policy came from the Labor Party, which mandated increases in National Insurance contributions (the American equivalent of FICA) by corporations, which reduced any possibility of increasing employment, as the cost of living effectively acted as a tax on employment.
Fox News Digital’s Michael Saunders contributed to this report.
