Pankhurst relatives condemn ‘hideous’ proposed statue

 A proposed memorial to Emmeline Pankhurst has been branded “hideous” by the family of the suffragette, as they try to stop a former Tory MP erecting it in Parliament Square.

The monument would stand yards from an existing 1930 statue which Sir Neil Thorne tried last year to have moved from its place next to Parliament.

After outrage from feminists, Westminster Council denied permission for the move. Sir Neil is now appealing a decision to stop him erecting a new, larger statue nearby, with a hearing due on June 4.

Pankhurst’s great-niece, Faye Cooper, said her family were “incensed” by Sir Neil’s actions. She said of the proposed statue: “It’s terrible. It doesn’t look like our great-aunt at all. My daughter has also said it’s hideous.”

Critics accuse Sir Neil of pursuing a vanity project. He says the design of the new statue represents “the universal significance of women’s suffrage”.