Grantham: Margaret Thatcher statue pelted with eggs just hours after being installed in ex-PM’s hometown

A protester has thrown eggs at a statue of Margaret Thatcher in her hometown of Grantham, less than two hours after it was erected.

Only one egg made contact with the statue, with the man in question throwing the eggs from behind a temporary fence surrounding the memorial.

A cry of “oi” could be heard after one connected with the lower part of the monument.

The £300,000 statue, which was originally intended for Parliament Square in Westminster, was approved by South Kesteven District Council planning committee in 2019.

The statue was placed on top of a 10ft plinth due to fears it could otherwise be attacked by a “motivated far-left movement who may be committed to public activism”, planning documents indicated.

But when a large-scale £100,000 unveiling ceremony was first proposed by the council in 2020, a Facebook group proposing an “egg-throwing contest” at the event attracted interest from more than 13,000 people.

Though it has faced delays, council bosses vowed to proceed with unveiling the statue in Baroness Thatcher’s home town of Grantham, Lincolnshire.

The statue has already proved controversial locally.

A number of motorists driving past the statue in Grantham could be heard booing loudly.

One man shouted “tear it down” while another said “this is no good for Grantham, is it?”

A number of people stopped by the statue to take selfies, however.

One Twitter user wrote: “This is a genius idea by Grantham to increase tourism. People are going to be travelling from far and wide to come [to] throw eggs at the Thatcher statue.” Another warned that “it won’t just be eggs either”.

The statue, standing at just over 20ft high, is situated in between two existing statues of Sir Isaac Newton and Frederick Tollemache in the town’s Civic Quarter.

Leader of South Kesteven District Council Kelham Cooke said “we must never hide from our history”, adding it is “appropriate the debate that surrounds her legacy takes place here in Grantham”.

He said: “This memorial statue of the late Baroness Thatcher of Kesteven will be 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.

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

“We must never hide from our history, and this memorial will be a talking point for generations to come.”

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Mr Cooke added: “We hope that this memorial will encourage others to visit Grantham and to see where she lived and visit the exhibition of her life in Grantham Museum.

“This is about inspiring, educating and informing people about someone who represents a significant part of Grantham’s heritage.”

The Grantham Community Heritage Association (GCHA), an educational charity which manages Grantham Museum, spent a number of years raising money for a permanent memorial to Baroness Thatcher.

Graham Jeal, of the GCHA, said: “There has long been a conversation in Grantham about a more permanent memorial to the country’s first female prime minister who was an enormous political figure, both nationally and internationally.

“The delivery of the memorial has secured the museum for the next few years and has helped the museum finances survive the Covid pandemic.

“It is recognised that the full spectrum of views exist in Grantham about the legacy of Margaret Thatcher and an exhibition inside the museum illustrates this.”

The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill pushed through Parliament last month includes a maximum penalty of 10 years for criminal damage to a memorial.