Wimbledon: Emma Thompson among celebrities calling for end to Barclays sponsorship

Emma Thompson is among the celebrities calling on Wimbledon to remove Barclays as sponsors of the tennis competition.

As the tournament kicks off on Monday (3 July), the Oscar-winning actor has signed an open letter objecting to the bank on climate change grounds.

The letter is addressed to the chief executive of the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) Sally Bolton.

Other signatories to the letter include Love Actually director Richard Curtis, musician Brian Eno, Green MP Caroline Lucas, Dragons’ Den star Deborah Meaden, and retail consultant and broadcaster Mary Portas.

The campaigners write: “Barclays is financing and profiting from climate chaos, and accepting a sponsorship deal from them is an endorsement of these actions.”

Wimbledon announced Barclays as its official banking partner back in November, with the bank taking over from HSBC.

The signatories also said Wimbledon’s partnership was not “consistent” with the Grand Slam event’s environmental policies.

The letter also states: “We hope you will reconsider this decision, and end your partnership with Barclays.

“In taking such action, you can show real climate leadership, and maintain the AELTC’s proud position of cultural and sporting leadership, both in the UK and across the world.”

Greenpeace UK, XR Money Rebellion and former UN climate chief Christiana Figueres, the latter of whom was responsible for the delivery of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change in 2015, are also backers of the campaign.

On Monday, Bolton said: “We really welcome Barclays this year, they are a fantastic new partner.

“A significant part of their involvement with us is making a significant donation to the foundation, through which they’ll be able to help people in need all over the UK, so we’re really proud of that and working closely with Barclays on developing that relationship.

“Our commitment to being environment-positive is a serious commitment and we really believe that we have, along with other sporting bodies, a significant role to play in that and we don’t shy away from that.”

A spokesperson for the AELTC highlighted Barclays’ support of the charity Wimbledon Foundation and the championship’s ambition to make a “positive impact on the environment”.

The statement also said: “We know this is one of the defining challenges of our times and we are fully committed to playing our part.

“From using 100 per cent renewable electricity and offering low carbon options on our menus, to sending zero waste to landfill and promoting a culture of reuse, we’re working hard to achieve a positive environmental impact across all of our operations.”

A spokesperson for Barclays said “addressing climate change is an urgent and complex challenge” and the company has provided £87 billion of green finance over the last five years.

They also said that oil and gas companies are “critical to the transition, and have committed significant resources and expertise to renewable energy”.

“Where companies are unwilling to reduce their emissions consistent with internationally accepted pathways, they may find it difficult to access financing, including from Barclays,” the statement added.

In May, environmental protesters caused Barclays’ annual meeting for shareholders in central London to be temporarily halted. At the event, the bank’s management team was pressed over its climate policies and decision not to end financing the expansion of oil and gas fields.

Chairman Nigel Higgins said: “The world at the moment cannot function without fossil fuels.”

He also said the bank had restricted its financing of energy companies and reduced emissions from its energy portfolio by a third over the last few years.

Additional reporting by Press Association.