Marks & Spencer has changed the name of its midget gems to avoid offending people with dwarfism.
The retailer has rebranded the sweets mini gems after a disability studies academic warned that the word was a form of hate speech which is insulting to those with dwarfism.
Dr Erin Pritchard, a lecturer in disability and education at Liverpool Hope University, described the word as “highly problematic”.
The academic, who has achondroplasia, which is the most common form of dwarfism, has also criticised other retailers, including Tesco, for continuing to use the word.
“I’m grateful that M&S has been willing to listen to the concerns of people with dwarfism. There was initially some reluctance, but I pointed out that if they were going to persist in
