Thatcher statue at Trafalgar Square would be “crass triumphalism” says London Labour leader

Following reports that London Mayor Boris Johnson is backing a statue of Margaret Thatcher on the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square, Len Duvall AM, Leader of the Labour Group on the London Assembly released the following statement:

“I don’t think it is appropriate to have a statue of Margaret Thatcher on the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square. She was a significant figure, but she was a divisive figure. I would argue that Margaret Thatcher did great harm to many people in London, and to place a statue of her at the site of the Poll Tax riots, which symbolised just how divisive she was, would be crass triumphalism. Boris needs to think carefully about this, rather than just jumping on a bandwagon. We all know he is trying to increase his standing within the Conservative Party, but abusing his position as Mayor of London for purely internal party political ends would demean him, the office of Mayor and our great city. This would also mean the fourth plinth would not be available for future artworks, which has been hugely successful and popular.”