The outspoken presenter of ITV’S Good Morning Britain branded the broadcaster’s move “absolutely pathetic” and urged the BBC to stop pandering to the culture of wokeness. On Monday the corporation confirmed Rule Britannia and Land of Hope and Glory would feature at the concert following backlash that may have been removed from the line up – but the performances will not include any lyrics.
Mr Morgan tweeted: “This is absolutely pathetic.
“The BBC needs to grow a pair & stop grovelling to such insane ‘woke’ cancel culture nonsense that most Britons find utterly absurd.”
The BBC’s announcement followed reports which suggested the anthems could be pulled from the Proms over their associations with colonialism and slavery.
The Last Night of the Proms will be held on Saturday, September 12, without an audience due to the coronavirus restrictions.
Mr Morgan’s criticism of the move comes as the Prime Minister said the UK needs to stop being embarrassed about its history, when asked about the playing of controversial songs.
He told reporters: “I was gonna tweet about this, but I just want to say… if it is correct, which I cannot believe that it really is, but if it is correct, that the BBC is saying that they will not sing the words of Land Of Hope And Glory or Rule Britannia! as they traditionally do at the end of The Last Night of The Proms.
READ MORE: Eamonn Holmes steps into BBC Rule Britannia row on This Morning
A second wrote: “It’s absolutely crazy.”
And yet a third tweeted: “The BBC is part of the insane woke cancel culture.”
Another said the decision was “outrageous” and “the BBC needs to stop interfering in history”.
They added: “The majority of licence payers will be outraged. Auntie is no longer an unbiased broadcaster.
“There is nothing contentious in the lyrics. I don’t believe the majority of folk analyse every word.”
But others supported the Beeb’s decision to play patriotic songs without lyrics.
One person said: “The music is as powerful as the lyrics.”
The BBC said the decision to drop the lyrics of the songs is due to the COVID-19 restrictions as there will be no audience at the concert.
But many people saw the decision as proof the broadcaster was bowing to pressure from campaigners who have called for Rule Britannia to be banned in public.
