Margaret Thatcher statue unveiled days after memorial was vandalised

Margaret Thatcher statue is officially unveiled in £100,000 ceremony in her home town days after the 10ft-high memorial was vandalised with paint and egged by protesters

• The £300,000 memorial to Margaret Thatcher was unveiled in Grantham today
• A 10ft-high statue of Baroness Thatcher has been put in the Lincolnshire town
• Protesters have already thrown eggs at it and thrown red paint over the statue 

A statue of Baroness Margaret Thatcher has been officially unveiled in her home town days after it was vandalised with paint and egged by protesters.

The £300,000 memorial to the former Prime Minister had been guarded by fences prior to its official opening in Grantham, Lincolnshire, today. 

It was lowered onto a 10ft-high granite plinth on May 15, and in the two weeks since has been targeted by vandals. 

The statue of Margaret Thatcher was officially unveiled in Grantham, Lincolnshire, at a ceremony today

Prior to its official unveiling the statue had been targeted by vandals who threw red paint over it

A protester holds a placard accusing Baroness Thatcher of selling off Britain at the official opening of the statue to the former Prime Minister

The vandals also spray-painted a communist red hammer and sickle at the site of the memorial to the Conservative politician

University worker Jeremy Webster threw eggs at it, and this was followed by protesters throwing red paint over it, with someone spray-painting a communist red hammer and sickle at the base of the plinth. 

Lincolnshire Police has said its officers are investigating possible criminal damage over this second incident, which took place on Saturday.  

That did not deter South Kesteven District Council spending £100,000 on a large-scale unveiling ceremony which took place today. 

The ceremony, which was approved in 2020, saw a crowd of 30 people and a lone bagpiper gather at the statue. 

A Union flag was draped over the memorial before the mayor of Grantham pulled a cord to uncover two plaques, with one reading: ‘I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.’

Shortly before the ceremony, a woman threw coffee in the direction of the statue, while others displayed placards such as ‘Grantham resident against Maggie’ and ‘Thatcher sold off Britain, who paid the price?’

The statue, which is raised on a 10ft-high plinth to deter vandals, cost an estimated £300,000

On the base are the words ‘I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept my faith

One passerby threw coffee at the statue before it was officially unveiled on Tuesday, May 31

One man walked by chanting ‘take it down, take it down’ and another shouted ‘it’s an absolute waste of money’.

Two CCTV cameras were put up before the installation to combat any threats of vandalism, and police turned up in minutes when Webster egged the memorial.

The council said the unveiling had been delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Webster, who is deputy director at the University of Leicester’s Attenborough Arts Centre, was fined £90 under Section 5 of the Public Order Act.

Jeremy Webster was photographed and filmed throwing eggs at the statue of the late Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher moments after it was unveiled this month

Police are investigating an offence of criminal damage after vandals threw red paint over the statue on Saturday

In February 2019, a planning committee unanimously voted in favour of the statue, which was originally intended for Parliament Square in Westminster.

Before planning permission was given, the only marking for Baroness Thatcher in the town was a plaque on the corner of North Parade and Broad Street to show where she was born.

After the ceremony, council leader Kelham Cooke, said: ‘The memorial… was paid for by public donations to the Public Memorials Appeal (PMA) and it is only right that they should have held a ceremony marking the completion of the project.

‘Following its installation on May 15 the memorial was expected to be a talking point and a focus for debate attracting a range of opinions, and that has proved to be the case.’

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