Poet calls for abolition of laureate post

One of the nation's best-loved poets and a favourite to take over as poet laureate has called for the position to be abolished.

Wendy Cope said there were too many expectations attached to the role and good poetry could not be written to order.

Writing in the Royal Society of Literature Review, Ms Cope said: "Although there is no requirement on the part of the Palace or Whitehall that the Laureate write anything at all, the press and the public expect it and the only way to get rid of that expectation is to abolish the post."

She objected that the position of poet laureate blurred the distinction between artistic and worldly achievement, and said many laureates had written "embarrassingly bad" poems.

The post of poet laureate is such a poisoned chalice it should be abolished, according to Wendy Cope who had been one of the favourites to take over the position from Andrew Motion when he steps down in May.

Cope has now ruled herself out of the job, claiming the pressure to write to order made good poets write bad poetry.

The 63-year-old, famous for her rhyming verses such as Being Boring and Lonely Hearts, said that the expectations were too high for the laureate.