A pub called The Midget after an iconic MG car is changing its name following complaints it’s offensive.
More than 1,000 people signed a petition to rename the pub in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, which is owned by the Greene King chain.
The petition was started by Dr Erin Pritchard, a disability lecturer at Liverpool Hope University, who has dwarfism.
The pub will close for a ‘six-figure’ refurbishment this month and reopen in December as the Roaring Raindrop, another historic MG car, Greene King confirmed.
It’s understood the pub, which opened in 1974, was previously called The Magic Midget, after the MG EX 127 car.
Nicknamed the Magic Midget and built at the town’s former MG factory, the car broke the world land speed record of 120mph in 1932.
The MG EX 181 Roaring Raindrop, meanwhile, broke a land speed record in 1957, while driven by Sir Stirling Moss.
It then beat its own record, when another attempt was made by American Phil Hill in 1959.
In the petition, Dr Pritchard said Greene King ‘should recognise the offence of the term and its implications’.
Dr Pritchard, who spoke with Greene King about the matter, said: ‘The term midget is a form of disablist hate speech, which I and most other people with dwarfism, have experienced as a form of bullying, including having it shouted at us by strangers.
‘It is a term that should be consigned to the history books.’
Speaking about the refurb and name change, Zoe Bowley, managing director of Greene King pubs, said: ‘Pubs are at the heart of communities and are all about bringing people together. I would like to thank the MG Car Club for welcoming us into their headquarters in Abingdon to explain the history of both cars and their importance to the area.
‘This really helped us to see that the new name needed to pay tribute to another icon of Abingdon and continue to tell the important story that the MG factory played in the town.’
She said the Greene King was grateful to Dr Pritchard ‘who has engaged with (the chain) on the offence and hurt the name ‘Midget’ can cause.
‘We hope that making the change in this way helps to preserve our pub’s historic links to Abingdon’s past while simultaneously ensuring our pub can be a place where everyone feels welcome.’
Andy Knott, MG Car Club manager, said: ‘For the MG Car Club, it was essential to preserve the pub’s connection to the marque.
‘With MG moving to Abingdon in 1929 and building iconic cars for 50 years, it’s become a significant part of the town’s history. The name MG still draws thousands of enthusiasts to Abingdon every year.’
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