Millicent Fawcett to be first woman honoured with statue in Parliament Square Millicent Fawcett, the suffragist, will be the first woman honoured with a statue in Parliament Square, taking her place alongside […]

Millicent Fawcett, the suffragist, will be the first woman honoured with a statue in Parliament Square, taking her place alongside Winston Churchill and Nelson Mandela, councillors have decided.

Westminster council’s decision giving the go-ahead for a memorial to the equal rights campaigner marked the end of a year-long campaign that had split supporters of women’s rights.

Councillors had been asked to decide between a statute of Fawcett, who believed in peaceful protest, or of Emmeline Pankhurst, the suffragette whose methods included public rallies, window-breaking, arson and hunger strikes.

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Westminster’s cabinet member for planning Daniel Astaire said: “Millicent Fawcett played a significant role in making British society fairer, creating opportunities and paving the way for future generations of women.

Memorials

“We receive a large number of applications for monuments and memorials each year and many of these have a powerful claim to public recognition. However, Parliament Square and the surrounding area reached saturation point some years ago and the council decided introduced a policy of no further statues being allowed in this area.

“However, in this case, the committee felt that an exception should be made in recognition of Millicent Fawcett’s unique impact on British politics. Her inclusion in Parliament Square will be welcomed as a fitting tribute.”

The council also offered hope to the Pankhurst campaigners, who include former Prime Minister David Cameron, Tory former leadership contender Andrea Leadsom and the first-ever female Speaker of the House of Commons, Baroness Boothroyd.

A decision on the suffragette’s statue has been deferred while the council finds a new home for her existing statue in nearby Victoria Embankment.

Worthy

“Emmeline Pankhurst’s huge contribution to women’s rights is beyond question and she is certainly worthy of a place alongside those recognised in Parliament Square,” said Cllr Astaire. “This application will be decided at a future planning committee.”

Fawcett campaigned tirelessly from a young age to get women the vote. In 1866, when she was 19, she helped collect signatures for the first suffrage petition.

She was involved with the push for women’s votes for more than five decades and led the National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies, though her commitment to peaceful tactics led to a split between her moderate movement and the more radical suffragettes.

Equality

Fawcett also campaigned for women’s rights in many other areas, including access to university. She died in 1929, a year after women achieved full equality at the ballot box.

The committee felt that an exception should be made in recognition of Millicent Fawcett’s unique impact on British politics

The statue, which was supported by a host of celebrities including JK Rowling and Emma Watson, will be funded from the £5 million pot put aside at the Spring Budget to support projects marking 100 years of voting rights for women.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said the statue, which will be created by the artist Gillian Wearing, was “long overdue”.

“Next year marks a century since the start of women’s suffrage in the UK – one of our country’s most pivotal moments – and our mission now is to ensure that we can begin the centenary celebrations with the unveiling of this landmark piece,” said Mr Khan.

“We want this statue to depict the strength and determination of the women who dedicated their lives to the fight for women’s suffrage and to inspire many generations to come – and I know Gillian’s creation will do just that.”

Sam Smethers, the chief executive of the Fawcett Society, said: “We are delighted that Millicent Fawcett, the woman who led the constitutional campaign for votes for women, will finally be honoured.”