British MP Rupert Lowe has stirred fresh controversy by criticising the use of bilingual signage at London’s Whitechapel Station, calling for station names to be displayed solely in English.
Lowe, a member of the Reform UK party representing Great Yarmouth, posted a photograph on X (formerly Twitter) showing the bilingual sign, which features both English and Bengali. In his post, Lowe stated, “This is London – the station name should be in English, and English only.” His comments quickly sparked a wider debate over linguistic representation in public spaces, particularly regarding the inclusion of non-English languages in official signage.
The post garnered support from several individuals, including South African-born tech billionaire Elon Musk, who responded with a single word: “Yes.”
The Bengali signage was introduced in 2022 as part of an initiative to acknowledge the contributions of the Bangladeshi community in East London. The move, funded by the Tower Hamlets Council, aims to reflect the diversity of the area, where Whitechapel is home to the largest Bangladeshi community in the UK. The inclusion of Bengali on the station’s signage was seen as a recognition of the community’s cultural significance.
In contrast, Mamata Banerjee, Chief Minister of West Bengal, expressed pride over the initiative in March 2022, describing the inclusion of Bengali signage at Whitechapel Station as a victory for the language and its global significance. Banerjee wrote on X, “Proud to note that the London Tube Rail has accepted Bengali as a language of signage at Whitechapel Station, signifying the increasing global importance & strength of the 1000-year-old language Bengali. It underlines that the diaspora should work together in common cultural directions. It is a victory of our culture and heritage.”
Lowe’s remarks have sparked a heated discussion about the role of language in public spaces and the balance between recognising cultural diversity and maintaining a shared national identity.
