Charities defend English Heritage for refugee scheme after criticism aired by right-wing news outlet

Rievaulx Abbey in North Yorkshire, one of the many famous sites overseen by English Heritage
Photo: makasana photo
Refugee charities have praised English Heritage for a scheme giving refugees free entry to its sites, after it was criticised by a guest on the right-wing broadcaster GB News’s afternoon show.
Philip Kiszely from the think tank New Culture Forum said on GB News last week (12 September) that although some argue the initiative allows refugees to “integrate and appreciate English heritage, culture and history”, it also feeds into an “agenda” on the part of English Heritage to “decolonise” the country’s past, and encourages refugees to “learn how terrible we are”.
The scheme was launched by English Heritage in 2022 and allows individuals who have been granted refugee status—or leave to remain in the UK as a displaced person—free entry to all of the charity’s more than 400 locations.
Nick Merriman, the chief executive officer of English Heritage, tells The Art Newspaper: “We introduced this policy at the outset of the Ukraine war. We believe it’s the least we can do for refugees who have fled violence and persecution and arrived here with very little. We think that our sites can provide comfort in an uncertain world and an opportunity to learn more about the history of the country. Heritage is for everyone. And we have lots of initiatives in place to support all of those for whom a day out with us is out of reach.”
Refugee charities backed the scheme, saying it helps new arrivals to experience the UK’s cultural richness and in turn integrate into their communities. Yusuf Ciftci, the head of refugee involvement at the Refugee Council, says: “People who come to this country in search of safety and are granted refugee status are an important part of society. At the Refugee Council we see every day in our services that refugees very often face financial difficulty as they begin the complicated process of building new lives here, so schemes that support them like this one are really welcome.”
Outlining just how challenging refugees’ financial situation can be, Carenza Arnold from Women for Refugee Women, says: “Most people seeking safety in the UK are forced to survive on anything between £8.86 to £49.18 per week—so access to many cultural and outdoor sites would be impossible without support.”
The New Culture Forum, where Kiszely is a senior fellow, was founded by Peter Whittle, a former deputy leader of the right-wing, populist UK Independence Party (Ukip).
On GB News Kiszely said that English Heritage was “committed to a decolonising agenda.” He also cited the fact that veterans and pensioners are not admitted for free and argued that this was an example of “priorities” being ”upside down”.
However fellow GB News contributor Paul Embury defended the scheme. On the social media site X, he posted: “Seeing some criticism of this initiative, but I strongly support it. If a refugee wants to learn more about English heritage, all power to him (or her). God knows we've been rubbish at integrating newcomers in the past, so let's help those who are willing to make the effort.”

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