Rachel Reeves ‘demands’ pictures of men removed from Downing Street state room
Rachel Reeves has demanded that pictures of men by male artists are removed from the state room in No 11 Downing Street.
The Chancellor has reportedly imposed a new female-only rule on the decor, meaning that all artworks on display in the state room must be “of a woman or by a woman”.
The aim is to celebrate “amazing” female figures, but a Tory source branded the move “pathetic gesture politics”.
It comes three weeks after Sir Keir Starmer had a portrait of Baroness Thatcher removed from her former study in No 10, leading to claims by the Conservative Party that he has “got a problem with women”.
He later said he took down the painting because he does not like pictures of people staring down at him and prefers landscapes.
According to reports in the Guardian and the Daily Mail, Ms Reeves told an all-female reception at No 11 this week: “This is King James behind me, but next week the artwork in this room is going to change.
“Every picture in this room is either going to be of a woman or by a woman – and we’re also going to have a statue in this room of Millicent Fawcett, who did so much for the rights of women.”
Greg Smith, the Conservative MP for Mid Buckinghamshire, told The Telegraph: “This seems an odd priority, but if she’s determined to do it, I expect Margaret Thatcher will feature prominently.”
Reports suggest the painting of James II will be relegated to the storage room.
The state room, which runs the entire width of No 11, is most regularly used for formal occasions. Overlooking the shared Downing Street gardens, it features two grand 18th-century marble fireplaces, as well as what the Government has described as “two of No 11’s finest treasures” – a pair of antique black and gold lacquered Chinese cabinets.
Ms Reeves, who is Britain’s first female Chancellor, has vowed to champion women’s interests in Government, pledging to build a more female-friendly economy and “close the gender pay gap once and for all”.
She has already removed a Treasury portrait of Nigel Lawson, Lady Thatcher’s chancellor, suggesting it could be replaced by a number of women in politics who have “hugely inspired” her.
The Treasury has been approached for comment.
