Downing Street refuses to say where Thatcher portrait has gone
Downing Street has refused to say what it has done with Margaret Thatcher’s portrait after Sir Keir Starmer had it removed from her former study in No 10.
The painting was taken down from the Thatcher Room just weeks after the Prime Minister took office, provoking outrage from Conservatives.
The decision to remove the artwork was revealed by Tom Baldwin, Sir Keir’s biographer, who claimed the Labour leader found it “unsettling” and opted to “get rid of it”.
He later clarified: “I believe it’s hanging somewhere else in the building now, or that’s what’s planned.”
Baroness Smith of Malvern, a Labour education minister, also said she believed the painting would be displayed elsewhere.
But Downing Street has refused to say where it has been moved to, raising questions over its future in the residence.
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On Friday, Dame Priti Patel mocked Sir Keir over his decision to take down the portrait, claiming it showed he had the wrong priorities.
Asked about the move following a campaign speech in central London, the Tory leadership contender said: “On Keir Starmer, where shall we start?
“Fifty-six days in office and he seems to be spending more time removing portraits of great, strong, Conservative female leaders rather than getting on and doing the strong job of governance.
“If he wants a picture to replace Margaret Thatcher he can always have this one.”
She gestured to her left at a banner, which featured a photograph of her face superimposed onto a Union Flag background.
Tory activists applauded and cheered as she continued: “I think it tells us everything really about his priorities. His priorities are not on serving the country.
“His priorities are literally just about tinkering at the margins, hiding behind great portraits of great Conservative female prime ministers. That is why we need to get him out of office.”
Speaking to Sky News on Friday morning, Lady Smith said she believed the painting would be displayed somewhere else in No 10, but ultimately Sir Keir “can’t win”.
Asked if the portrait should have been taken down in the first place, the Labour frontbencher said: “I think he has hung it up somewhere else, hasn’t he, as far as I’m aware.
“Keir Starmer can’t win, can he, because a few months ago he was being criticised for talking about what he admired about Margaret Thatcher, and now he is being criticised for moving her portrait.
“I think the important thing for Keir Starmer is probably to learn what he can from previous prime ministers, but to crack on with what he is doing in very successfully leading the country.
“I don’t think whether or not you shift a portrait from one room to somewhere else is the most pressing issue of the day.”
The portrait of Thatcher was commissioned by Gordon Brown and unveiled to the “Iron Lady” at a private reception in 2009. Painted by Richard Stone, one of Britain’s leading portrait artists, it was intended for permanent display in Downing Street.
‘Petty-minded’
The decision to take it down has provoked a backlash from the Conservative Party, which has claimed it shows the Prime Minister has “a problem with women”.
Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg, the former Cabinet minister, also described it as “petty-minded”. He said it was “unbecoming of a prime minister who has a role representing the nation, not just his political faction”.
Greg Smith, a Tory MP, accused Sir Keir of “utter pettiness”, claiming the move showed he had “no respect for our history and previous prime ministers”.
Sir Keir has previously praised Thatcher for effecting “meaningful change” in Britain and “setting loose our natural entrepreneurialism”. Those comments prompted a backlash from Left-wing MPs, who accused him of a “Mandelsonian” ploy to woo Tory voters.
