“I’m a regular shopper at M&S and have seen no evidence of this. Perhaps you could supply some, rather than a lame third hand anecdote.”
Darren Grimes, a Reform UK councillor in Durham and former presenter on GB News, came under fire this week for claiming Marks & Spencer staff are forced to display their pronouns on name badges.
Taking to X and Facebook, Grimes wrote:
“I met someone that I worked with at Marks and Spencer many moons ago tonight – I’m so grateful for the people I met and the experience I got in that job. But I was informed that they’re all forced to wear their pronouns on their badges now. What on earth? Do they even know their own customers? Sign of the times.”
The post drew attention, as Grimes no doubt intended, but much of the reaction focused on its inaccuracy.
Several social media users challenged the assertion with firsthand accounts. One wrote:
“I was sipping coffee in M&S in Southend earlier and curiosity got the better of me. I had a look around to try and spot one of these badges with mandatory pronouns. Man behind café counter – name badge, no pronouns. Woman clearing café – name badge, no pronouns. Woman in food department – name badge, no pronouns. Woman assisting customers at self-checkout – name badge, no pronouns.”
Another responded: “Yet another bare face lie from Reform Durham Darren.”
Indeed, M&S introduced optional pronoun name badges in 2021. The initiative originated not from corporate command but from an employee suggestion submitted through the retailer’s internal ‘Suggest to Steve’ programme, which allowed staff to propose ideas directly to then CEO, Steve Rowe.
At the time, employees praised the move, with M&S explaining that the badges were intended to help staff feel comfortable at work and to support LGBTQ+ colleagues. The company stressed participation was voluntary.
The charity Stonewall also welcomed the initiative, describing it as a simple but meaningful step towards workplace inclusion.
“Creating an inclusive workplace starts with everyday actions, and having pronouns on badges is a simple yet impactful way to make sure LGBTQ+ identities are respected – for employees and customers alike,” said Sasha Misra, associate director communications at Stonewall.
Given that the voluntary nature of the badges has been public knowledge for several years, critics argued that Grimes’ claim was either careless or deliberately misleading. As one user asked: “Where did you meet this person and how much had they had to drink? I ask because I’m a regular shopper at M&S and have seen no evidence of this. Perhaps you could supply some, rather than a lame third hand anecdote.”
Nevertheless, the post did succeed in provoking some of the culture-war outrage it appeared designed to generate. Among the responses was the unrelated complaint:
“I noticed that they didn’t wear poppies for remembrance either.”
Once again, voluntary inclusion being falsely portrayed as coercive ‘wokeness,’ allowing misinformation to spread.
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