Joe Corré, the son of late Sex Pistol’s manager Malcolm McLaren and fashion designer Vivienne Westwood, plans to burn his £5 million collection of punk artefacts in response to the movement’s 40th anniversary celebrations.

Corré, who founded lingerie brand Agent Provocateur, says the incineration is a protest at the way punk’s legacy has been appropriated by the mainstream and was triggered specifically by Punk London, which launched in January 2016, as a year long program of gigs, exhibitions and films that look back at the movement.

According Corré, the event has been backed by the Queen, former mayor of London, Borris Johnson and the Heritage Lottery Fund. In a statement, Corré said: “The Queen giving 2016, the year of punk, her official blessing is the most frightening thing I’ve ever heard. Talk about alternative and punk culture being appropriated by the mainstream. Rather than a movement for change, punk has become like a fucking museum piece or a tribute act.”

The ceremonial burning will take place in Camden, London, on 26th November, to coincide with the 40th anniversary of the Sex Pistols single, “Anarchy in the UK”. Ahead of the event, Corré gave a press conference where he discussed his motivations. “Punk-rock was never meant to be nostalgic. There was an urgency and vitality to it that at the time which was a reaction and answered to the fact that there was a whole generation of people that were completely fed up with the status quo,” he argued. “We’re celebrating 40 years of ‘Anarchy in the UK’ at a time when you can buy a Never Mind the Bollocks credit card at 19 per cent APR.”

Asked why he had not chosen to sell the memorabilia to raise money for charity, Corré responded, “Who is actually going to buy it? It would end up going on some banker’s wall. That’s who’d buy it and that wouldn’t satisfy me very much.”

Signalling her approval of her son’s plans, Vivienne Westwood will also be present and will make a statement at the event.

The burning will be live-streamed on the official website. Yes, ‘live-streamed on the official website’, so punk.