August 30th 2024.
According to Sir Keir Starmer's biographer, Tom Baldwin, the new Prime Minister has made a bold move in removing a portrait of Margaret Thatcher from the study at Number 10. The painting, which cost a staggering £100,000, was originally commissioned by former Labour PM Gordon Brown in 2009 and depicts the Iron Lady shortly after the Falklands War in 1982.
Baldwin, who also served as an advisor to David Miliband during his time as Labour leader, claims that Sir Keir found the presence of the portrait to be "unsettling". It hung in a room known as the "Thatcher Room", which the Labour leader does not use as his own study. However, the decision to remove the painting has sparked criticism from some, particularly Conservatives, who have called it "petty" and "vindictive".
During a talk at the Glasgow book festival, Aye Write, Baldwin recounted a conversation he had with Sir Keir in the study. He brought up the portrait and remarked on how uncomfortable it must be to have Thatcher's gaze constantly upon him. The Prime Minister agreed, saying "Yeah". Baldwin then asked if he would consider getting rid of the painting, to which Sir Keir simply nodded. "And he has," Baldwin confirmed.
The news of the painting's removal comes just eight weeks after Sir Keir took office and months after he praised Thatcher in a news article. In December, he wrote in the Sunday Telegraph that she brought "meaningful change" to British politics. This statement received backlash from trade union leaders and left-wing MPs.
Former Conservative leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith believes that the removal of the portrait was a gesture to appease the "hard left". He stated, "It's a very simple gesture that says to the hard Left, 'don't worry, I share your view of Thatcher as well'". He also expressed his disappointment in the decision, calling it "peculiarly petty".
Meanwhile, Baroness Arlene Foster, former Northern Ireland first minister and Ulster Unionist, shared her thoughts on Twitter. "I think it is 'unsettling' that the PM should remove the first female PM from No 10," she wrote. "He cannot deny her role in our nation - the most significant PM after Churchill. Not a good start from Labour, looks and feels vindictive and petty."
In Scotland, the three candidates for the leadership of the Scottish Conservative Party all spoke out against the removal of the portrait. "Gordon Brown commissioned this portrait after calling the first female prime minister 'a conviction politician who saw the need for change'," said candidate Russel Findlay. "I agree with Gordon Brown's reasonable position to treat his political opponents with decency and respect... Keir Starmer seems to have a much more petty approach."
However, Labour Minister Jacqui Smith defended Sir Keir's decision on GB News. "Look, Keir Starmer can't win, can he?" she said. "A few months ago he was being criticised for talking about Margaret Thatcher's legacy and the elements of her leadership that he respected, and now he's being criticised for asking for a few pictures to be moved around." She also clarified that there are still other portraits of Thatcher on the walls of Number 10, along with portraits of all previous Prime Ministers.
In December, Fire Brigades Union general secretary Matt Wrack also spoke out against Sir Keir's praise of Thatcher. "Her government deliberately inflicted mass unemployment and poverty on communities through a vindictive pit closures programme and the decimation of the manufacturing industry," he stated.
The portrait of Baroness Thatcher was painted by Richard Stone and paid for by an anonymous private donor. It is unclear at this time if Downing Street will provide a comment on the painting's removal.
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