Theresa May unveils statue of feminist trailblazer Millicent Fawcett and says she would not be Prime Minister without her
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Theresa May unveiled a statue of feminist trailblazer Millicent Fawcett saying that she would not be prime minister without the work of the suffragist heroine.
The 8ft 4in bronze of Fawcett is the only female statue in Parliament Square, standing alongside 11 historical male figures including Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi.
It is also the first statue in the iconic square designed by a woman, Turner Prize-winning artist Gillian Wearing OBE.
Theresa May, speaking at the unveiling, said: "I would not be here today as Prime Minister, no female MPs would have taken their seats in Parliament, none of us would have had the rights and protections we now enjoy, were it not for one truly great woman, Dame Millicent Garrett Fawcett.
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"For generations to come, this statue will serve not just as a reminder of Dame Millicent's extraordinary life and legacy, but as inspiration to all of us who wish to follow in her footsteps," she added.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said the statue was a great step forward but said "a lot more can be done," he said.
"There's a number of women who deserve statues. Sylvia Pankhurst for example, and those women that suffered in Holloway Prison, in my constituency.
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"We have named a library in honour of them - called the Cat And Mouse Library, after the Cat and Mouse laws."
The statue also marks the centenary of the Representation of the People Act, which gave some women voting rights for the first time.
The statue shows a 50-year-old Fawcett holding a banner which says: "Courage calls to courage everywhere."
The line is taken from a speech made by Fawcett after the death of suffragette Emily Wilding Davison, who was killed after throwing herself under King George V's horse at the 1913 Epsom Derby.
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The statue was unveiled by her great-great niece, schoolgirls from Millbank Academy and other figures in the campaign.
Caroline Criado Perez, the Brazilian-born activist and writer, started the campaign for a statue of a woman in Parliament Square in 2016.
The idea came as she was running through Westminster on International Women's Day and spotted statues of Winston Churchill and David Lloyd George, but could not see any women.
To her dismay, she realised that all 11 figures dotted around the square were men.
(Image: PA)
(Image: PA)
She said: "Women are still woefully underrepresented, but we are making one hell of a start in changing that."
The movement went on to gain the support of the Mayor of London and the Prime Minister, and the bronze figure was commissioned, and then produced by Turner Prize winner Gillian Wearing.
The statue also marks the centenary of the Representation of the People Act, which gave some women voting rights for the first time.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan , who attended the ceremony, said: "Today is an historic day. The decision to commission this statue was a no-brainer. It is vital that we fix the imbalance and make sure more women are represented in our public spaces."
(Image: Getty Images Europe)
Former Cabinet minister Yvette Cooper posted a video of the unveiling on Twitter and quoted Millicent Fawcett's most famous speech, writing: "Courage calls to courage everywhere".
Captioning the video, she added: "The unveiling of the first statue of a woman in Parliament Square - first statue by a woman in Parliament Square. A beautiful statue. An incredible woman. For all women. For everyone."
(Image: PA)
Caroline Lucas, co-leader of the Green Party, tweeted: "And just unveiled - #MillicentFawcett -joins the 11 men in Parliament Square - Courage calls to Courage Everywhere.
"And in 100th anniversary of some women first winning the vote, let's mark it by achieving a system where *every* vote counts - #FairVotes"
Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott wrote: "Proud to be at the #MillicentFawcett statue unveiling in Parliament Square.
(Image: Hulton Archive)
"Hopefully the first of many more statues representing extraordinary women to be unveiled both around London and worldwide and an important step in achieving equal representation for women."
And Harriet Harman, the former minister for women and equality, tweeted: "Celebrations as #MillicentFawcettStatue unveiled. But also a moment to reflect on all the decades & centuries women have been invisible. And to redouble the fight for equality!"