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29 Oct, 2018 11:49

‘We’re doomed, don’t panic’: New Brexit 50p coin met with ridicule

‘We’re doomed, don’t panic’: New Brexit 50p coin met with ridicule

Reports that Chancellor Philip Hammond will unveil plans for a new 50p coin to mark Britain’s withdrawal from the EU in his Budget on Monday have been met with widespread ridicule on social media.

The Sun reports that the Chancellor will announce advanced plans for a special seven-sided Brexit 50p coin, which will be made available from 11pm on March 29, 2019, the very day Britain leaves the EU.

Plans for a Brexit coin have been met with mockery on social media, with many joking that the new 50p will be worth a lot less when it’s put out as legal tender next year, making it a “perfect tribute” to the UK leaving the EU. Others have interpreted the proposal as nothing more than a gimmick, much like the idea for a British blue passport once the UK exits the EU.

According to The Sun, the commemorative coin, which the Queen has had to personally sign off, will bear the phrase ‘Friendship With All Nations’, in a bid to send out a positive signal to the world. The coin will also include the date of Brexit enshrined around the image of the head of state.

READ MORE: Brexit flotilla: Cabinet member proposes hiring ships to feed public in case of no-deal chaos

It’s thought Hammond, who campaigned for the UK to remain in the EU, wants to use the new coin to underline the positive opportunities Brexit presents, with the expectation it will go down well with Leave voters. A source close to the Chancellor told The Sun: “It’s an historic moment which will rightly be commemorated.”

One Leave campaigner the plans have gone down well with is Darren Grimes, a leading Brexit activist during the 2016 EU referendum campaign. The BeLeave campaign founder was fined £20,000 (US$25,690) by the Electoral Commission for breaking EU referendum spending laws. He’s taken to social media to claim the issuance of a commemorative Brexit coin was “right and proper.”

The now privately owned Royal Mail, no longer under the government’s control, has repeatedly refused to issue a commemorative Brexit stamp, claiming the issue is still too politically controversial.

It comes as the Chancellor sets out his Budget in Parliament for the coming year. It’s been widely reported that it could end up being a provisional Budget, which Hammond may have to rip up if the UK fails to secure a Brexit deal with the EU.

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