UK Politics

Tech billionaire Elon Musk supported a British MP's post arguing that a London railway station name should appear only in English after a dual-language signboard featured “Bengali” as well.

Rupert Lowe, the Great Yarmouth MP, shared an image of the bilingual sign at Whitechapel Station on his official X account. "This is London - the station name should be in English, and English only," said Lowe, a Reform UK MP for Great Yarmouth, on Sunday.

His post quickly gained traction online and even drew a response from Elon Musk, the owner of X, who simply replied, “Yes.”

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Lowe’s post sparked mixed reactions on X, with some users backing his stance while others defended bilingual signage.

One user supported Lowe’s perspective, writing, “Couldn't agree more Rupert, it's time to stand up for our national identity and language. We shouldn't be pandering to every other culture at the expense of our own, it's just common sense. Well said, keep speaking out against this woke nonsense.”

However, not everyone agreed. One user countered, “While I appreciate the sentiment imagine visiting Tokyo or Shanghai and not a single sign was written in English?”

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A Bengali sign was installed at Whitechapel Tube station in 2022 to honor the contributions of the Bangladeshi community to east London.

The Tower Hamlets Council funded dual-language signage throughout Whitechapel Station as part of broader development efforts. The area is said to have the largest Bangladeshi community in the UK.