The government’s plan to commemorate Brexit with a special edition 50p coin has been met with a mixed reception.
The design for the limited-edition coin has not yet been revealed, but it will be emblazoned with the slogan “Friendship With All Nations”, and it is set to enter circulation on 29 March, the day the UK formally ceases to be an EU member state.
Chancellor Philip Hammond’s acquiescence to the demand for a Brexit coin, led by The Sun and leading Brexiteers, has been “seen as a concession to pro-Leave MPs who see him as too pessimistic about the divorce”, Sky News reports.
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The Sun applauded the decision as “victory” for the campaign to secure “an enduring gesture to mark Brexit as a landmark national moment”.
However, for many Remain voters, it was predictably a source of mirth.
Some Twitter users pointed out that scheduling the coin for release on 29 March might be a bit premature, with negotiators on both sides of the Channel unclear as to whether a deal will actually be in place by “Brexit day”.
And commemorating Britain’s exit from the EU with a coin was a little too on the nose for Remainers concerned about Brexit’s impact on the economy:
However, the “Brexit 50p” might not be completely useless - some users joked that the coins could actually prove useful in the event of a Brexit-triggered apocalypse: