Daily Express, 16 October 2003
EU plot to rename Trafalgar Square and Waterloo station
Waterloo Station and Trafalgar Square should be renamed to avoid offending the French, a British EU official demanded yesterday. The thousands of French who arrive on Eurostar trains every day may feel insulted at the reminder of Britain's historic routing of Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, said the EU's European Investment Fund chief Francis Carpenter. Waterloo could change its name to the bland-sounding Europe Station, while Trafalgar Square, commemorating Nelson's naval victory over the French in 1805, could become Concord Square, he suggested.
The truth
The EU has no plans to rename UK place names, and, indeed, does not even have the power to do so. The views of Francis Carpenter, head of the European Monetary Fund, are the opinions of one individual who works for an EU institution. They are not the views of the EU.
