By GB News (World News) | Created at 2026-09-26 23:00:42 | Updated at 2026-09-26 23:44:24
45 minutes ago
The Imperial War Museum (IWM) will undergo a £1million rebrand because young visitors cannot relate to the First and Second World Wars.
Critics have accused the IWM of "turning its back on the past" by enlisting consultants to create exhibitions which will appeal to "contemporary audiences".
In February, the national museum, which attracts over 2.5 million visitors across its five branches, closed its gallery housing the world's largest collection of Victoria Crosses (VCs).
The museum is now planning a series of new displays focusing on the wars which are "within many of our visitors' living memory", including the Cold War, the Falklands War, the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to a report from its newest three-year plan.
The IWM will also introduce temporary exhibitions to explore "rarely told stories and topics" - similar to its LGBTQ+ history trail, which Tory peer Lord Ashcroft accused of "kicking out" his collection of VCs in March.
The museum said those claims were "categorically untrue" at the time.
In a separate report justifying its changes, the museum said there was a "growing public misunderstanding about what the IWM does and why it exists".
"In part, this reflects the growing number of people with no connection to someone who lived through the First or Second World Wars, or who was involved in the post-1945 conflicts," the report, titled IWM Corporate Plan 2025-2028, revealed.
The Imperial War Museum will undergo a transformative project as younger visitors cannot relate to the First and Second World Wars
PA
A source familiar with the rebrand told The Telegraph £500,000 of the museum's budget had been earmarked for the changes, internally referred to as Vision and Purpose (V&P).
The total sum, however, is expected to reach £1million, partly because it includes the cost of hiring a director to lead the project on an £80,000 salary and fees to consultancy firm Johnson Banks.
On staff member at the museum said they fear for the institution's "future wellbeing" amid the overhaul, and others felt the decision to close the Lord Ashcroft Gallery was an act of "self-harm" that was "managed very poorly" by senior leaders.
Lord Ashcroft said the decision to close his namesake gallery "remains baffling".
He said: "I should perhaps not be surprised that the IWM continues to turn its back on the past. Spending money in the pursuit of younger visitors means nothing unless you have something to offer young people.
Lord Ashcroft, seen here showing medals to Prince Harry, said the IWM's decision to close his gallery 'remains baffling'
"In my experience, the heroic actions of those who have gone before remain endlessly fascinating. It is sad to see a great institution so diminished."
The museum is also planning to cut 10 per cent of is full-time workforce, equivalent to around 50 employees, in an effort to save £2.6million in the next three years, The Telegraph revealed.
Caro Howell, Director General at Imperial War Museums, said the organisation was under "financial pressures" and invited staff to take voluntary redundancy.
The email reads: "From today we are opening a Voluntary Exit programme which will allow staff to leave IWM with a compensation package, and support those who feel this could be the right moment to look for new opportunities outside IWM."
Staff are said to be aggrieved at the cuts as expenditures for senior leadership have risen by 17 per cent.
A spokesman for the IWM said: "Telling the stories of the First and Second World Wars is, and will continue to be, at the heart of IWM’s mission.
"The Vision & Purpose project is about ensuring those stories and contemporary conflicts continue to connect with future generations.
"This will help us communicate more clearly why IWM matters and how the stories and lessons of conflict that we share remain just as relevant today.
"We want everyone, from veterans to families and schools, to feel that IWM is for them."
The spokesman added: "The IWM has launched a voluntary exit programme as part of wider work to ensure the museum remains financially sustainable and able to deliver its public mission for generations to come.
"Our Vision & Purpose project is also an important part of our wider strategy to strengthen IWM’s long-term financial sustainability by reaching new audiences, deepening engagement for current audiences, and creating greater opportunities for visits and income generation."
