Thread by @arthistorynews

1 - There's still a serious threat to move the statue of Emmeline Pankhurst away from the Houses of Parliament, thanks to the entirely misguided attempt to relocate it to @regentsuni. A few thoughts on how to stop it, and why we should >

2 - The statue was unveiled in 1930 by the then Prime Minister in Victoria Gardens. The whole point of its location was that it was by Parliament.

3 - In 1958, there was an attempt to move it further away from Parliament, in order to accommodate Rodin's 'Burghers of Calais'. But campaigners pointed out that putting more distance between the statue and Parliament would be a slight on the Pankhurst and the Suffragettes.

4 - Crucially, the campaigners prevailed, and in fact the statue was moved slightly closer to Parliament. The then government gave 'the most categorical assurance' to the Suffragette Fellowship that there was no intention of ever moving the statue again.

5 - This last point is crucial, for I've found that the statue is in fact government property. It belongs to @DCMS as successor to the Ministry of Works. Can the current Westminster Council planning application to move the statue have proceeded without the government's say so?

6 - It seems unlikely. But I cannot see how @DCMS_SecOfState would ever agree to move Pankhurst's statue away from Parliament. Furthermore, the site is controlled by Royal Parks, who have agreed to the move. But they are under control of @SadiqKhan - does he really agree?

7 - Just about the only formal voice objecting to the proposals is (mercifully) Parliament itself. Here's a report commissioned by the Curator's office, which points out that moving Pankhurst would do 'substantial harm' to the site, and to the historical purpose of the statue.

8 - So far, objections have focused on Westminster Council and the planning process. But really, given the fact that the Government owns the statue, we simply need a Minister, or better yet @theresa_may, to step in and put an immediate stop to it. They have the power to do so.

9 - So we all need to get lobbying on this. Moving Pankhurst's statue would be a tragic act of historical and art historical vandalism, and, in the centenary year of women gaining the vote, a grievous insult to Suffragettes.

10 - Finally, here's the report commissioned by Parliament.
parliament.uk/documents/comm…
And for more on all this, follow @CCriadoPerez, who first raised the alarm.