Parliament Square’s first statue of a woman has been unveiled at a ceremony in Westminster. Suffragist leader Millicent Fawcett has been immortalised in bronze and now stands 8ft 4in just outside the Houses of Parliament. Theresa May, the London mayor, Sadiq Khan, and BBC journalist Mishal Husain were among those at the ceremony.
Hers is the only female statue, standing alongside 11 historical male figures including Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi, and was unveiled by her great-great niece, schoolgirls from Millbank academy and other figures in the campaign to feature women in the square. Caroline Criado Perez, the Brazilian-born activist and writer, started the campaign 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 Parliament Square were men. She said: “Women are still woefully underrepresented, but we are making one hell of a start in changing that.” 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.
“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.”
Khan said: “This 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.”






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