Calls for Virgin Trains boycott in ‘censorship’ Twitter storm

The controversial decision was a response to lack of demand

Twitter users are calling for the boycott of Virgin Trains following a divisive decision to no longer sell copies of British tabloid The Daily Mail.

The subject became a trending topic on Twitter after Daily Mail contributors including Piers Morgan and Nigel Farage expressed outrage at the news.

Oh for goodness sake.
Come off it @richardbranson – censorship isn’t your thing, surely? https://t.co/RIczszPT4P

— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) January 9, 2018

The news has also gained the attention of political movements like the Stop Funding Hate campaign, which encourages companies to stop advertising with controversial news sources such as the Mail. While many Twitter users are planning to boycott in protest against the rail giant, calls for a boycott against rail networks was already being called for across social media after as rail prices continue to soar.

Refuting accusations that it’s a ‘ban’, some users are reminding commuters that the newspaper is still accepted reading material on the trains, they just aren’t being stocked.

It’s also not a ban. Virgin Trains don’t sell shoes either but I’m 100% certain that customers will be allowed to wear them when they’re travelling.

— George Tait (@Bertiebobo) January 9, 2018

The story came from an internal staff memo revealed by PR Week, which claims the Mail’s editorial stance on issues from immigration to LGBT rights have led to the paper not being considered ‘compatible’ with the rail company’s beliefs, although sales figures have also factored in.

Despite the Daily Mail regularly ranking among the top newspapers in the country for circulation, Virgin Trains has revealed they do not sell enough copies of the paper to continue stocking them in 2018.

“After listening to feedback from our people, we decided in November 2017 that we would no longer stock copies of the Daily Mail,” said a spokesperson for Virgin Trains told PA Life. “When we stocked the Daily Mail onboard, we sold one copy for every four trains.”

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