'Who on earth is going to say: "I'm just jumping on the Suffragette"?': Royal commentator mocks the renaming of London Overground lines

London Overground will be getting an overhaul with its six lines being rebranded with new names and corresponding colours. According to The Guardian, the new names, revealed on February 15 by Mayor Sadiq Khan will celebrate the city's "unique local history and culture."

“In reimagining London’s tube map, we are also honouring and celebrating different parts of London’s unique local history and culture,” he said.

The six Overground lines will be called Lioness, Mildmay, Windrush, Weaver, Suffragette and Liberty. While this made navigating the Overground easier, the new names were not appreciated by many. Rafe Heydel-Mankoo, a historian and royal commentator, ridiculed the idea in particular, branding it "idiotic":

"Who on earth is going to say: "I'm just jumping on the Suffragette"? Idiotic."

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London Overground's new names ridiculed by royal commentator

In a long-winded tweet on X, Rafe Heydel-Mankoo bashed the new Overground lines names, dubbing it a precursor to life in "post-revolutionary Britain." He also expressed outrage against Khan, accusing the mayor of using "every tool at his disposal to foist a new cultural orthodoxy on the capital."

"Politicising the daily commute (including with the Mayor's anti-British poems inside tube trains) is 'next level' propagandising and brainwashing. There is no escaping the message. Khan would happily take us from Net Zero to Year Zero," he continued.

And he's not the only one. Londoners have been quick to jump on the train to disparage the new names, calling Khan out for wasting time with a "woke rebrand" while knife violence is on the rise in the capital.

According to the BBC, conservative mayoral candidate Susan Hall called the new names "stuff of nonsense", adding:

"The Central line is falling apart. I'm surprised he didn't call one of them the 'Sadiq line'. People want to know they can get their trains, people want to feel safe. They don't want to know he is spending goodness knows how much on PR people deciding what to rename things."

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Khan claimed the Overground's rebranding was "a hugely exciting moment"

According to the Guardian, Sadiq Khan explained how the names were chosen carefully after consultation with passengers, historians and communities to celebrate the city's most historic events.

“This is a hugely exciting moment, transforming how we think about London’s transport network. Giving each of the Overground lines distinct colours and identities will make it simpler and easier for passengers to get around," he added.

The Overground network was established between 2007 and 2015. The city's transport commissioner, Andy Lord, explained that the Overground system was successful albeit difficult to comprehend due to all the lines symbolized with orange.

“These new names and line colours will simplify the maps and routes for our customers, and it is hoped it will encourage more people to make the most of our services. It is also a great way to tell the stories of some important parts of London’s cultural diversity.”

As per the BBC, work on the rebranding will start immediately and is expected to be completed with a budget of about £6.3 million by the end of 2024. Transport for London (TfL) will be working in tandem with Sadiq Khan to helm this new project.