A political agenda at the National Trust: Letters to The Times

23 January 2024

Sir, Further to your report “Keir Starmer speech accuses Tories of McCarthyism over National Trust” (Jan 22), people like me dumped our longstanding National Trust membership precisely because it had become clear those in charge had a political agenda. They were imposing an unnecessary and irrelevant focus on slavery and Britain’s colonial past. I rejoined the trust only when the Restore Trust movement was created to take on the management’s woke agenda. It is no surprise that Starmer approves of this agenda but there is nothing remotely McCarthyist in disagreeing with it. British institutions belong to the nation; those entrusted with temporary stewardship of them are not entitled to use them as bully pulpits to project their personal views.

Gregory Shenkman

London

24 January 2024

Sir, Unfortunately Sir Keir Starmer has been listening to the wrong advice about the National Trust (“Tory culture wars are a kind of McCarthyism, claims Starmer”, news, and letter, Jan 22). You do not have to be obsessively anti-woke or even a Tory to feel deeply concerned at the abandonment of Clandon House after its tragic fire (contrast with Uppark or even Windsor Castle); deliberate voting manoeuvres to stave off disaffected members, repeated snubs to long-serving, loyal volunteers; and threats to the job security of curators who believe in doing their job and putting art and beauty before politics. What has all this to do with the “proud spirit of service” that Sir Keir evokes?

Dr Mark Stocker

Christchurch, New Zealand