Center Parcs yanks Daily Mail ads over ‘homophobic’ article

Center Parcs is pulling its advertising from the Daily Mail after an ad appeared in a controversial online article by columnist Richard Littlejohn that rounded on diver Tom Daley and husband Dustin Lance Black, who are expecting a child.

In the article entitled 'Please don't pretend two dads is the new normal', Littlejohn writes: “What makes diver Tom Daley and his husband think we want to look at the ultrasound of their yet-to-be-born baby? For a start, one foetus looks pretty much like all the others, just as all babies look like Winston Churchill. Yet there they were this week, all over the newspapers and on social media, posing proudly with the grainy image taken inside a womb. Daley posted it on Instagram on Valentine's Day, complete with emojis of two men, a child and love hearts. As John Junor, late of this parish, used to remark: Pass the sick bag, Alice.”

Center Parcs reacted to a tweet asking: "My son so wants me to book at your parks, but how can I do that if you support homophobia?" It stated: "We take where we advertise very seriously and have a number of steps to prevent our advertising from appearing alongside inappropriate content. We felt this placement was completely unacceptable and therefore ceased advertising with the Daily Mail with immediate effect. We apologise for any offence this may have caused."