Keir Starmer: UK PM Keir Starmer under fire for removing £100k Margaret Thatcher portrait from Downing Street, critics call it petty’ | World News
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has ignited a political firestorm by removing a portrait of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher from her former study in Downing Street. The decision to take down the £100,000 painting, which was commissioned in 2009 by then-Prime Minister Gordon Brown as a tribute to Thatcher’s legacy, has been met with backlash, with critics labeling the move as “petty”, reported Daily Mail.
The portrait, painted by royal portrait artist Richard Stone, captured Thatcher at the height of her power following the Falklands War in 1982.It was the first portrait of a former prime minister to be commissioned by Downing Street and was unveiled in 2009. Thatcher, often referred to as the “Iron Lady,” reportedly felt honored by the gesture.
According to reports, Starmer found the portrait “unsettling” and had it removed from the Thatcher Room, a space in No. 10 that he does not use as his study. No 10 confirmed the removal, which was first revealed by Starmer’s biographer, Tom Baldwin.
The decision has sparked outrage among Thatcher’s supporters, who accuse Starmer of trying to placate the left wing of his party. Sir John Redwood, a former head of Thatcher’s policy unit, criticized the move, suggesting that Starmer might be uncomfortable being compared to a “far better prime minister.”
“Margaret Thatcher believed in the British people and knew we had great opportunities and great talents,” Redwood stated. “She was positive and optimistic, and he is pessimistic, negative, and nasty.”
The portrait, painted by royal portrait artist Richard Stone, captured Thatcher at the height of her power following the Falklands War in 1982.It was the first portrait of a former prime minister to be commissioned by Downing Street and was unveiled in 2009. Thatcher, often referred to as the “Iron Lady,” reportedly felt honored by the gesture.
According to reports, Starmer found the portrait “unsettling” and had it removed from the Thatcher Room, a space in No. 10 that he does not use as his study. No 10 confirmed the removal, which was first revealed by Starmer’s biographer, Tom Baldwin.
The decision has sparked outrage among Thatcher’s supporters, who accuse Starmer of trying to placate the left wing of his party. Sir John Redwood, a former head of Thatcher’s policy unit, criticized the move, suggesting that Starmer might be uncomfortable being compared to a “far better prime minister.”
“Margaret Thatcher believed in the British people and knew we had great opportunities and great talents,” Redwood stated. “She was positive and optimistic, and he is pessimistic, negative, and nasty.”
