Philip Pullman says Brexit 50p coin should be boycotted 'by all literate people' for missing Oxford comma

New coin enters circulation as Britain prepares to leave the EU on Friday

British novelist Sir Philip Pullman has called for a boycott of the Brexit 50p coin because it does not include an Oxford comma.

The coin, which enters circulation on Friday, bears the slogan “Peace, prosperity and friendship with all nations”.

Sajid Javid, chancellor of the exchequer, said he hopes the coin will mark the “beginning of this new chapter” as Britain prepares to leave the EU.

But Pullman, author of His Dark Materials, is far more concerned with the coin’s punctuation than its purpose, tweeting: “The ‘Brexit’ 50p coin is missing an Oxford comma, and should be boycotted by all literate people.​”

And he is not the only person to take issue with the coin’s “missing” comma. Stig Abell, editor of the Times Literary Supplement concurred, tweeting: “The lack of a comma after ‘prosperity’ is killing me”.

The Oxford comma can be included before the final “and” in a list, and while it is generally considered optional, some writers swear by it.

Hence why Pullman and Abell’s tweets have polarised the internet, with Twitter users fervently arguing both in favour and against the use of an Oxford comma.

“A comma in this case would not make any difference to the meaning,” one person tweeted.

Another added: “The Oxford comma is regarded as stylistic so it is equally valid to use, include, and enjoy or to ignore, exclude and disregard.”

Some users argued that Pullman’s views on the coin could be more about Brexit itself than the punctuation, with one person writing: “Just say you don’t like it because what it represents not because of the comma!”

And another bemoaned: “When will your anger over Brexit end?”

In light of the commentary, Abell later teased that he should have never opened the door “to Oxford Comma Twitter” because “it is a passionate and contentious place”.

The debate surrounding the new coin comes after one million 50p coins had to be shredded and melted down last year after the government missed the first Brexit deadline, which was on 31 October.