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Posters depicting Margaret Thatcher as Queen Victoria and the Virgin Mary have been banned from Parliament’s Tube station.

They are among six portraits of the divisive former Prime Minister which advertising chiefs ruled were too controversial to hang in Westminster Underground station.

The portraits were advertising the Thatchertastic exhibition at Gallery Different, featuring 10 artists' depictions of the Iron Lady held to mark her death.

But CBS Outdoor, which sells advertising space on London’s tube network, said using the images would breach Transport for London guidelines.

A spokeswoman: “If an advert has messages or images that relate to public controversy or sensitivity it will not be run.”

TfL said that the ban could be lifted now that Lady Thatcher’s funeral had passed.

“Our advertising contractor took the view that it could have been considered insensitive to have displayed the posters at the time of Baroness Thatcher’s funeral.

“As her funeral has passed, they will be happy to consider them again.”