Alan Cumming hands back his OBE citing the ‘toxicity of empire’

‘I was incredibly grateful to receive [the OBE] in 2009,’ wrote Alan Cumming. Photograph: Kristina Bumphrey/REX/Shutterstock

We tend to receive things on our birthdays, but on his 58th Alan Cumming has given something back: the OBE he was awarded in 2009.

In a post on Instagram, the Scottish actor talked about how he had recently “opened his eyes” to the “toxicity” of the British Empire. He said his soul-searching was prompted by the death of Queen Elizabeth II and the conversations the event sparked.