Richard Tice DEFENDS Margaret Thatcher statue amid fears it will be targetted

In February last year, a planning committee unanimously voted in favour of the £300,000 statue – which was originally intended for Parliament Square in Westminster. It is now set to stand on a 10ft-high granite plinth in former Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher’s home town of Grantham, Lincolnshire, due to fears of a “motivated far-left movement who may be committed to public activism”. The former Brexit Party chairman has detailed what the former Prime Minister did for the UK. It comes after an event was planned online to target the new statue.

Asked about whether the statue should be erected, Mr Tice told talkRADIO: “Whether you like it or not, she was an incredibly significant figure in 20th century United Kingdom that dragged its country from being unable to bury its dead to collect its rubbish in the late 1970s.

“To a country a decade later that was taking its rightful place at the top table of the world again through trade and successful achievement.

“For that I’m enormously grateful and I think many millions around the country are.”

His comments come as a large-scale £100,000 unveiling ceremony for a statue of Baroness Margaret Thatcher has been approved, despite a Facebook event gathering support for an “egg-throwing contest” at the statue.

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Twitter users were quick to agree with Mr Tice.

One wrote: “I believe we should have a statue of this great Lady, in every town & city, as a reminder of how a real Prime Minister should run a country!”

Another added: “I wasn’t mad about her at the time but I knew she had a vision and a backbone! More importantly, she loved this country. Wish we had her now!”

A third person said: “One thing I know, she would not have put up with all this woke nonsense, and our borders would have been secured.”

The unveiling ceremony, approved by South Kesteven District Council on Tuesday, has also attracted attention from protestors despite the council leader describing it as a “fantastic opportunity for the Grantham community to celebrate its heritage”.

A report to the council meeting invited its Cabinet to approve the installation of the statue on St Peter’s Hill Green, in accordance with agreed planning permission.

The official report proposed expenditure of up to £100,000 to “underwrite” the statue unveiling event and any consequential works, alongside contributions from the community and businesses.

The report stated: “The unveiling of the statue provides an opportunity for Grantham’s community to celebrate its heritage.

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“The event will be used to promote ‘Inspirational Women of South Kesteven’ including Edith Smith who served in Grantham as the first female warranted police officer in the country.

“There is an element of cost to hold any successful large scale event which will also include essential elements to ensure that security and public safety is maintained.”

Although no date for the event has yet been set, a Facebook group proposing an “egg-throwing contest” at the unveiling has already attracted interest from more than 13,000 people.

Around 2,400 others visited the Facebook page to say they would go to the event which pledged “egg-throwing and potentially graffiti art”.