Rachel Reeves has said she is planning take down all the male-heavy paintings in her new official residence and replace them with artwork either made by or depicting women.
The UK’s first female chancellor made the announcement at a reception of women business leaders at No 11 Downing Street yesterday evening.
She was speaking in front of a large portrait of King James II which hangs in the building’s grand state room.
It was one of the pictures that would be taken down next week, she revealed.
Reeves told the gathering: ‘Every picture in this room is either going to be of a woman or by a woman – and we’re also going to have a statue in this room of Millicent Fawcett, who did so much for the rights of women.’
Fawcett, one of the leading campaigners for women’s suffrage, also has a statue in Parliament Square a short walk from Downing Street.
It is understood Reeves will be taking the same approach to decorating her study in the same building.
A Conservative spokesperson described the move as ‘pathetic gesture politics’, adding: ‘I’m sure the 5.2million elderly women who are facing a choice between heating and eating this Christmas will be very impressed.’
At the gathering on Wednesday, the chancellor pledged to use her position to improve life for women by tackling issues like expensive childcare and the gender pay gap.
She said: ‘It’s 54 years now since Barbara Castle introduced that legislation on equal pay and yet there is still a 14% gap between what men and women are paid.
‘I want to be the chancellor who closes that gap once and for all.’
Reeves’ decision to redecorate No 11 is not the first contentious artwork-related story to emerge from Downing Street since Labour took over power.
Last month, it was revealed that Prime Minister Keir Starmer had chosen to remove a portrait of his Tory predecessor Margaret Thatcher from a study after agreeing with his biographer that it was ‘a bit unsettling’.
In an interview with the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg, the PM said he did not like any pictures of people in areas where he was working and preferred landscapes.
Some of the backlash from Conservatives focused on Thatcher’s achievements as the first female prime minister.
Scottish Tories leadership candidate Meghan Gallacher said: ‘Regardless of your opinions on Margaret Thatcher, she paved the way for women in politics and tackled sexist stereotypes head-on.
‘She’s an inspiration for many, a defining figure in British politics and she deserves to be recognised for her many achievements.’
It’s unclear if the government plans to resolve the issue by transferring the Thatcher portrait to the chancellor’s residence.
The portrait of James II referenced by Reeves has been at the centre of controversy before.
In 2021, the MailOnline reported that its placement in No 11 was ‘under review’ due to the Stuart king’s links to the slave trade and the Royal African Company.
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