“Good idea—the pigeons need something new to shit on.”
With so much going on in the world politically – the local elections, the US-Ukraine minerals deal, Israel’s latest airstrikes near Syria – you might expect the leader of the opposition to stay focused. Instead, Kemi Badenoch turned attention to an unexpected priority – the erection of a ‘massive’ statue of Margaret Thatcher outside Parliament.
This would be in addition to the existing statue of the former prime minister located inside the Palace of Westminster. It would stand alongside Winston Churchill, Nelson Mandela, Millicent Fawcett, Abraham Lincoln and Mahatma Gandhi immortalised on the iconic green outside House of Commons.
Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, Badenoch, who has previously compared herself to Thatcher, said:
“There’s one that’s near the chamber of the House of Commons that’s inside, but most people would never see that. I think she’s such an iconic figure. It’s odd that she isn’t there.”
She acknowledged concerns that a Thatcher statue could become a target for vandalism.
“And I remember having this conversation about 15 years ago, long before I became an MP, and the person said, ‘oh, they’d be really worried about the statue being defaced’.
“And then what did we see last weekend or two weekends ago? People are defacing every statue of Millicent Fawcett. For goodness sake, I think we need to treat the statues with a bit more respect.”
Online reaction was swift and brutal.
“A statue to commemorate the person who gave us privatised utilities? I can think of a place to stick it Kemi, and it isn’t Parliament Square!” wrote one Facebook user.
Another commented: “What a slap in the face for all those industrial communities she destroyed.”
“Isn’t there more concerning priorities then a statue of M Thatcher,” asked another.
Some took aim at Badenoch directly: “Not very good at ‘reading the room’, is our Kemi.”
And one user summed up the sentiment with: “Good idea—the pigeons need something new to shit on.”
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