Prime Minister Keir Starmer faces criticism for removing Margaret Thatcher’s portrait from her former study at 10 Downing Street, a move seen as appeasing the left.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has sparked controversy after removing a portrait of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher from her former study at 10 Downing Street. Critics accuse Starmer of pandering to left-wing factions within his party by ordering the removal of the iconic image of the “Iron Lady.”
The removal, first reported by The Daily Mail, was confirmed by Starmer’s biographer, Tom Baldwin. Baldwin explained that Starmer found the portrait “unsettling,” leading to its removal from the Thatcher Room, which Starmer does not use as his study. Baldwin recounted a conversation with the prime minister during which both agreed that the portrait’s presence was unsettling, with Starmer nodding in agreement when Baldwin suggested its removal.
Baldwin later mentioned in a social media post that the portrait is either hanging elsewhere in the building or will be relocated, a point echoed in a report by the BBC.
Government minister Jacqui Smith addressed the controversy during an appearance on GB News, stating that Starmer “can’t win” with the criticism, noting that he had previously praised Thatcher for bringing “meaningful change” to the country. Smith also confirmed that a portrait of Thatcher remains in a Downing Street gallery along with those of all former prime ministers.
Despite this reassurance, the removal has been met with backlash from prominent Conservative figures. Sir John Redwood, who headed Thatcher’s policy unit, was unsurprised by the decision, claiming that Starmer would naturally want to avoid comparison with Thatcher, whom Redwood described as “a far better prime minister.”
Former Tory Cabinet minister Sir John Whittingdale, who served as Thatcher’s political secretary, called the portrait “an important part of history” and criticized its removal as an attempt to appease the left. He argued that the portrait’s presence in a room closely associated with Thatcher was historically significant.
Former Conservative leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith condemned Starmer’s decision as “petty,” suggesting it was a gesture meant to placate the Labour Party’s hard-left faction. “As soon as he gets in, he wants to get rid of Margaret Thatcher’s picture,” Duncan Smith remarked. “Why? Because that is red meat to his hard left. It’s a very simple gesture that says to the hard left, ‘Don’t worry, I share your view of Thatcher as well.’”
The portrait, depicting Thatcher at the height of her power following the Falklands War in 1982, was commissioned by then-Prime Minister Gordon Brown in 2007 and painted by royal portrait artist Richard Stone. It was the first portrait of a former prime minister to be commissioned by Downing Street.
Starmer’s decision continues to stir debate over the legacy of Margaret Thatcher and the ideological direction of the current Labour leadership.
