Suffragette statue is a reminder to fight for equality, says Theresa May

Theresa May has praised the first monument of a woman to stand in Parliament Square
EPA

A new statue honouring women’s suffrage campaigner Millicent Fawcett will be a “constant reminder” of the battle for gender equality, according to Theresa May.

Writing in Monday's Evening Standard, the Prime Minister hailed the new work, to be unveiled in Parliament Square tomorrow, as a “beautiful sculpture” but said it should be an inspiration to keep up the fight.

“The best way to honour Dame Millicent’s legacy is for all of us to continue the fight she led so many years ago,” wrote Mrs May.

“I hope that the statue being unveiled tomorrow, standing in the heart of our capital and our democracy, will provide a constant reminder of the need to do so.”

30 vintage photos of Suffragettes in London - in pictures

1/30

The statue will be the first monument of a woman to stand in the central London location overlooked by the Palace of Westminster.

The installation, by Turner prize winner Gillian Wearing, will also feature 52 photographic etchings on tiles around the statue depicting 59 key women — and a few men — who were central in the push for women’s suffrage.

Mrs May said that while women now filled some of London’s top jobs, just seven of the FTSE 100 companies are led by women chief executive officers while across the country women are “still routinely paid less than men”.

“Together, these facts form a stark reminder that the struggle for equality did not end when the first women won the vote a century ago,” she said.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in