Broadcaster Andrew Marr has said he will not buy from major food and drink chains until they pull their business out of Russia.
This comes as corporate giants have been facing pressure from consumers to end their trading in the country following its continued attack on Ukraine.
Marr gave his stance during his show on LBC radio, with McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, Pepsi and Starbucks soon after announcing they were suspending their operations.
Andrew Marr says he's 'not going to eat Burger King or go to a Starbucks' until the companies stop trading in Russia amid growing calls for a boycott of the country.@AndrewMarr9 pic.twitter.com/350pli2Fpo
— LBC (@LBC) March 8, 2022
During LBC’s Tonight with Andrew Marr, the presenter asked the shadow foreign secretary David Lammy his thoughts on boycotting brands.
Lammy replied: “Look it shouldn’t come to that, they should just step back from being in Russia.”
He added: “Just as you’ve seen Microsoft and others make those announcements, I want us and our population to remain united so it’s not about boycotts, it’s not about individual action.
“It’s got to be about governments making sure that collectively those companies do the right thing, and I’m sure we’ll see more of that in the coming days.”
Marr responded that he planned on taking a stance, saying: “It may not for me be a great personal sacrifice but I’m not going to eat Burger King, or drink Coca Cola or Pepsi or go to a Starbucks until they come out of Russia, I can tell you that.”
We will be temporarily closing all restaurants and pausing all operations in Russia. Click to read the message from our CEO in its entirety: https://t.co/ncoB2A8GC6
— McDonald's (@McDonalds) March 8, 2022
McDonald’s announced on Tuesday evening that it was going to temporarily close restaurants and pause operations in Russia.
“The conflict in Ukraine and the humanitarian crisis in Europe has caused unspeakable suffering to innocent people.
“As a System, we join the world in condemning aggression and violence and praying for peace”, the company said in a statement given by its chief executive Chris Kempczinski to staff and later shared publicly.
Starbucks was also among the corporate giants to follow suit, stating it had to decide to suspend all business activity with Russia given the “horrific attacks on Ukraine”.