Just weeks into his tenure at No 10, Keir Starmer has caused a political stir by having an iconic portrait of Margaret Thatcher removed from Downing Street.
Starmer reportedly found the artwork “unsettling” and quietly ordered its removal, according to his biographer, Tom Baldwin.
The portrait, a significant piece painted by renowned artist Richard Stone, was intended to be a permanent fixture in Downing Street. It was unveiled to the Iron Lady herself in a private ceremony back in 2009 and hung in one of the Downing Street studies – unofficially called the “Thatcher Room.”
The biographer, speaking at a book festival in Glasgow, said Starmer had called the study a “place where we can go and have a quiet talk.”
He told attendees: “We sat there, and I go: ‘It’s a bit unsettling with her staring down as you like that, isn’t it?'” Baldwin said Starmer issued a one-word response: “Yeah.”
He then asked if Starmer would “get rid of” the painting prompting a nod from Starmer – adding: “And he has.”
This painting’s removal, first reported by The Herald, has provoked backlash from Conservatives. Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg slammed the decision as “petty-minded,” accusing Starmer of failing to rise above factional politics. Tory MP Greg Smith branded it “utter pettiness,” suggesting it showed a lack of respect for Britain’s history and its former leaders.
Murdo Fraser, a contender for the Scottish Tory leadership, added his voice to the criticism, calling it a “churlish move” and hinting that Starmer may have felt intimidated by the legacy of a leader whose accomplishments he could never hope to match.
Even more scathing was Meghan Gallacher, also vying for the Scottish Tory leadership, who condemned the removal as “disgraceful.” She emphasised that Thatcher, as Britain’s first female Prime Minister, broke through barriers for women in politics and deserved recognition for her historic achievements.
The controversy bears an uncanny resemblance to the uproar following Barack Obama’s decision to remove a bust of Winston Churchill from the Oval Office when he became President. One of the first things Donald Trump is reported to have done is put the Churchill bust back “in pride of place” when he became President of the United States.
