The 10ft statue of Margaret Thatcher could still be erected opposite the House of Commons, it was designed by Douglas Jennings
A statue of Margaret Thatcher could still be erected opposite the House of Commons after the local council’s leader backed the idea despite the opposition of her planning officials.
Nickie Aiken, head of Westminster City Council, said it was right that a monument to the ‘extraordinary’ former prime minister should be erected in the year marking 100 years since women got the vote.
The Tory councillor added that Baroness Thatcher had shown women that ‘there were no no-go areas in politics’.
Her comments came after planning officials at her council recommended the rejection of plans for a 10ft bronze of the former PM in Parliament Square because there are too many monuments in the area.
They also noted that the local authority has a ten-year rule under which public figures should not be commemorated with a statue until a decade after their death.
And some local residents have voiced fears that a statue of Baroness Thatcher could be targeted by hard-Left vandals.
But Mrs Aiken intervened yesterday to say there should be no problem with erecting the monument as long as a new design is submitted with the support of the former PM’s family.
The current £300,000 plans – depicting Baroness Thatcher in peers’ robes and without her famous handbag – have been rejected by her children.
Mrs Aiken said the statue might not have to wait until a decade after her death because the ten-year rule has been broken before.
A statue of Nelson Mandela was erected on Parliament Square in 2007 – the former South African president died in 2013.
A Westminster City Council planning committee is to debate the design rejected by the family – for a ‘life size and a half’ statue – on Tuesday.
The sculpture designed by Douglas Jennings was recommended for refusal by planning officials at Westminster Council
Although this is likely to be turned down, Mrs Aiken said: ‘I am all in favour of having a statue of the first woman prime minister in Britain in Parliament Square, all the more so in the year in which we mark the centenary of women getting the vote.
‘Whatever your political persuasion, I believe it is entirely fitting that the life of this extraordinary person – who showed women there should be no no-go areas in politics – is marked in the shadow of Parliament.
‘It needs to be the right statue, and one that enjoys the support of Baroness Thatcher’s family. That is the discussion which Westminster council’s planning committee will have next week.’ Westminster City Council, which covers the West End and the area around Parliament, is run by the Tories.
Planning documents for councillors show officials suggest rejecting the statue plan because of ‘monument saturation’.
They also hinted at the threat of vandalism by hard-Left activists, saying no statues should be erected for ten years after a person’s death to ‘allow partisan passions to cool’.
Planning documents suggested that permission be refused because of ‘monument saturation’ but Westminster Council leader Nickie Aiken (pictured) disagreed
The Iron Lady is still a hate figure for the hard-Left almost three decades after she was forced out of Downing Street.
The plans for the statue have already been redesigned at the request of the Metropolitan Police after they raised concerns about possible civil disobedience.
It includes a smooth plinth without ledges or hand-holds – to prevent protesters climbing on it.