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The Telegraph
The Telegraph
National
Dominic Penna

Margaret Thatcher statue installed in Grantham amid threats of 'egg-throwing'

The statue of Baroness Thatcher was placed on a 10ft-high plinth
The statue of Baroness Thatcher was placed on a 10ft-high plinth

A statue of Margaret Thatcher has been installed in Grantham despite threats of “egg-throwing” as her hometown council insisted “we must never hide from our history”.

The statue of Baroness Thatcher was placed on a 10ft-high plinth in the wake of warnings from police that this would be required to deter “politically-minded” vandalism.

After years of delays caused by the Covid pandemic, it was finally erected on Sunday morning as a tribute to the first female prime minister, who won the Conservatives three general elections while in office from 1979 to 1990.

CCTV equipment has been installed opposite the memorial, which is around 20ft-high and stands in Grantham’s Civic Quarter between two existing statues of Sir Isaac Newton and Frederick Tollemache, to deter threats of vandalism.

More than 13,000 people expressed their interest in a Facebook event that proposed an “egg-throwing contest” at an unveiling ceremony when this was first approved by the council in 2020.

The statue was lowered on Sunday
The statue was lowered on Sunday

A spokesman for South Kesteven District Council said the Public Memorials Appeal - which collected £300,000 for the statue through donations from residents and other individuals - would proceed to an official ceremony at a later date.

Cllr Kelham Cooke, the Tory council leader, insisted “we must never hide from our history” and said the monument constituted a “fitting tribute to a truly unique political figure”.

“Margaret Thatcher will always be a significant part of Grantham's heritage. She and her family have close ties with Grantham. She was born, raised and went to school here,” Cllr Cooke said in a statement.

“It is, therefore, appropriate that she is commemorated by her hometown and that the debate that surrounds her legacy takes place here in Grantham.”

The memorial “will be a talking point for generations to come”, he added.

Westminster Council had refused to erect a statue of Baroness Thatcher in 2018, citing a report suggesting it would have been a prominent target for “potential vandalism and civil disorder”.

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