Our neglect of Reagan’s statue ‘is slur on great man’
AN MP called for a statue of Ronald Reagan to be moved to a place of honour in Parliament Square yesterday after it fell into disrepair.
Tory Andrew Rosindell said the treatment of the statue was an “insult” to one of the great US Presidents who won the Cold War and was famous for his closeness to Margaret Thatcher.
The Reagan statue was unveiled in 2011 in Grosvenor Square, just outside the former US Embassy building, to mark a centenary since his birth. But since the embassy moved to its new home in Wandsworth, south London, the statue has been neglected.
Ahead of US President Donald Trump’s visit next week, Mr Rosindell has said the statue needs to be restored and properly cared for.
And he also says it should be moved to Parliament Square to join other great world leaders such as Abraham Lincoln, Nelson Mandela, Gandhi and Jan Smuts.
Mr Rosindell said: “President Reagan was a loyal friend of the United Kingdom and British people. It is so disappointing to see his statue looking uncared for and shameful that this has been allowed to happen.
“Mrs Thatcher, together with Ronald Reagan, led the free world in the 1980s and defeated the threat of Communist domination.
“The memory of Ronald Reagan deserves better than this.”
A spokesman for Westminster Council said the statue is on land looked after by Grosvenor Estate which is developing the former embassy site, adding: “We will ensure the statue will retain its pride of place in Grosvenor Square.”