Omitting Thatcher from Westminster statues is a cop-out

PARLIAMENT Square sits in the shadow of the Palace of Westminster, where our MPs and peers have governed for centuries.

- Duncan Barkes

It contains statues of some of the world's greatest politicians and activists, but a new addition is much needed: a statue of Margaret Thatcher - one of our greatest ever prime ministers.

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch was asked about this in a recent interview and said: “I think she’s such an iconic figure. It’s odd that she isn’t there.” Kemi is bang on the money.

The current statue line-up is impressive and acknowledges the illustriousness of outstanding men and women, including former British prime ministers Winston Churchill, David Lloyd George, Henry John Temple, Edwin Smith-Stanley, Benjamin Disraeli, Robert Peel and George Canning.

They are joined by former prime minister of South Africa Jan Christian Smuts, former US president Abraham Lincoln, former president of South Africa Nelson Mandela, suffragist Millicent Fawcett and campaigner for Indian independence Mahatma Gandhi. These figures and their achievements changed the world and our country for the better.