Thatcher statue greeted with eggs and boos

A STATUE of Baroness Margaret Thatcher has been egged less than two hours after it was installed in her home town.

A protester threw eggs from behind a temporary fence surrounding the memorial, with one hitting part of the monument.

The statue was installed in Grantham, Lincolnshire, amid previous threats of “egg-throwing” and was booed by passing motorists yesterday morning.

In February 2019, a planning committee unanimously voted in favour of the £300,000 statue, which was originally intended for Parliament Square in Westminster.

Despite its unveiling being delayed due to the pandemic, the statue was erected on a 10ft granite plinth yesterday morning.

Reports originally presented to South Kesteven District Council showed the statue was moved to the area due to fears of a “motivated far-left movement ... who may be committed to public activism”.

After a £100,000 unveiling ceremony was approved by the council in 2020, a Facebook group proposing an “egg-throwing contest” at the event attracted interest from more than 13,000 people.

Around 2,400 others visited the Facebook page to say they would go to the event including “egg-throwing ... and potentially graffiti art”.

A CCTV camera has been installed directly opposite the memorial in an attempt to combat any threats of vandalism.

Police turned up at the scene within minutes of the people beginning to throw eggs.

Leader of South Kesteven District Council, Kelham Cooke, said: “We must never hide from our history”, adding it is “appropriate the debate that surrounds her legacy takes place here in Grantham”.