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Sir Philip Pullman calls for Brexit 50p boycott over lack of Oxford comma as others urge Brits to donate money to refugees

HM TREASURY/AFP via Getty Images
HM TREASURY/AFP via Getty Images

Sir Philip Pullman is leading the charge for the new Brexit 50p to be boycotted due to a missing comma, while others are calling for the new coins to be donated to refugee charities.

Around three million of the new pennies will be introduced on Friday January 31 with the message “peace, prosperity and friendship with all nations” and another seven million will eventually be brought into circulation.

A debate has also raged online about the lack of an Oxford comma in the statement, which would nestle after the word “friendship”.

His Dark Materials Author Sir Philip is among those to call for the coin to be boycotted.

Sir Philip has called of the coins to be boycotted (PA)
Sir Philip has called of the coins to be boycotted (PA)

An Oxford comma sits between the penultimate item on a list and the word “and” or “or”.

The writer was joined by Times Literary Supplement editor Stig Abell, who tweeted: “Not perhaps the only objection, but the lack of a comma after ‘prosperity’ is killing me.”

User @TychoNestoris1 replied: “Be gone with your American serial comma nonsense!”

Aside from the debate around punctuation, a number of Twitter accounts were calling for the donation of the new 50p to refugees, using the hashtag with the hashtag “#fiftypeesforrefugees”.

Choose Love / Help Refugees posted: “What a great idea. People are donating the #Brexit50p coins they find to groups upholding the UK’s tradition of welcome & sanctuary.

“3m enter into circulation this Friday. We love the idea of using them to support groups creating real peace and friendship.”

The coins were first planned for introduction ahead of the October Brexit day last year by Chancellor Sajid Javid.

The coins were first propsed ahead of the October 31 Brexit date last year (PA)
The coins were first propsed ahead of the October 31 Brexit date last year (PA)

But following delays to the country’s departure from the bloc, the fresh coinage was put off until Friday.

Mr Javid, in his role as Master of the Mint, said: “Leaving the European Union is a turning point in our history and this coin marks the beginning of this new chapter.”

Sabir Zazai, chief executive of the Scottish Refugee Council, told Third Force News: “The commemorative coin promises peace, prosperity and friendship with all nations. I came to the UK seeking peace, prosperity and friendship, and have been lucky enough to find it, yet we are now seeing refugee rights being voted and eroded away.

“We can’t have peace, prosperity and friendship in word only. We need action.

“We are grateful to those who have said they will donate their 50ps to us and to other refugee support organisations across the country – goodness and hope prevails, even in the most uncertain and worrying of times.”

It later transpired that the case of the missing comma was an issue of preference.

The Oxford comma - also known as a series comma - derives its common name from its use in by the Oxford University Press (OUP).

Author and economics commentator Frances Coppola said the punctuation was not essential for the new 50p.

Responding to Sir Philip, she tweeted: “As all literate people know, the Oxford comma is entirely optional.

“But it offends both in its presence and its absence.

“Whatever the choice, someone will think it wrong.

“There could not be a better commemoration of Brexit.”

Sir Philip noted the debate was not a matter of grammar but orthography, the conventions of language.

Additional reporting by PA Media.

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