The stone monolith commissioned by the Labour party to publicise its policies at the 2015 election was broken up shortly after polling day, it has been reported.
Bloomberg news cites two party officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, who say the stone was destroyed by the party and no longer exists.
Journalists have been trying to track down the so-called “Ed Stone” since the election, with the object having become a running joke amongst politics watchers.
The object had long been rumoured to be stored in an unidentified warehouse in South London.
The party was ridiculed on social media when it unveiled the stunt, which was meant to represent its commitment to follow through on its policy pledges.
It bore pledges including controls on immigration, an NHS “with time to care” and more houses to buy and rent.
The monolith would have been located in the Downing Street garden had it been occupied by Labour.
Then leader Ed Miliband unveiled the stone in a car park in Hastings on 2 May, just days before the election.
A month after the Conservative victory Tory peer Lord Ashcroft offered the party £100,000 to buy it but his offer was rejected. It is not clear whether the stone had been destroyed by this point.
Labour has long officially refused to comment on the stone’s whereabouts, for fear it could become a permanent monolith of ridicule for the party.
Receipts disclosed by the party have also identified that the stone cost £8,000 – rather than the £30,000 that had been reported at the time.
