Opinions on a prime minister’s legacy are always provisional but no one can dispute that Margaret Thatcher was a historic figure. However, an appeal to commemorate her legacy permanently has spent almost all its funds on ephemeral projects to spread a political message rather than establish a Margaret Thatcher Centre to record her life and public achievements.

The Charity Commission is investigating whether the British wing of the campaign, the Cherish Freedom Trust, has satisfied charitable criteria. In the meantime, the campaign’s activities have cast a pall on the aim of commemorating the life of a towering public figure. The haphazard way in which Britain remembers holders of its highest political office should be reconsidered. There is nothing wrong with seeking private donors to help