Thatcher statue blocked
A BRONZE statue of the late Margaret Thatcher in Parliament Square has been blocked by the Government amid fears that it will be vandalised by Leftwing activists.
A planning application has been submitted to Westminster city council requesting permission for the erection of a 10ft statue depicting Britain’s first female prime minister in a “resolute posture looking towards Parliament with a stern gaze”.
However, a formal objection has been lodged by the Royal Parks Agency and the Department for Digital Culture, Media and Sport. They say that they have not received assurances that the project has the permission of Baroness Thatcher’s family. There are also concerns in Whitehall that it will be repeatedly targeted by protesters.
A Royal Parks spokesman said: “Numerous times we have requested assurances from the applicant that they have approval from the family for the statue.
“To date we have not had those assurances.”
The £300,000 work was commissioned by the Public Memorials Appeal, shortly after Lady Thatcher’s
death in 2013. But Carol Thatcher, her daughter, sent a letter to the charity last year protesting about the about the absence of a handbag from the statue.
The trust that commissioned the sculpture has admitted Miss Thatcher is “upset” about the lack of a handbag – but has insisted it will fight on to secure permission for the tribute to be exhibited.
Ivan Saxton, the co-founder of the Public Memorials Appeal Trust, which raised the funds, said last year: “There was talk that she didn’t like it because it isn’t made of iron, but she doesn’t mind that it’s not made of iron. Carol’s upset that there’s no handbag.”
A 7ft bronze of the Iron Lady already stands in the House of Commons, off Central Lobby outside the doors to the chamber.
It was ordered in 2003 following a change in rules to allow the depiction of living figures on the parliamentary estate under certain conditions.
It was unveiled in 2007, prompting Baroness Thatcher to comment: “I might have preferred iron, but bronze will do.”
Winston Churchill’s statue in Parliament Square had previously been targeted by activists.
In 2010 up to 30,000 students occupied Parliament Square ahead of the tuition fees vote and the statue was defaced.
One student urinated on the statue in the square, which was also daubed with offensive graffiti, including messages saying “racist warmonger” and “Churchill was a ----”.
A statue of Margaret Thatcher was decapitated in 2002 at Guildhall Art Gallery in London by a man who attacked it with a metal pole.