Paintings of Lord Nelson have been taken down in Parliament and replaced with Labour figures under plans to make Parliament’s artworks more diverse.
A pair of paintings of the naval hero, including one showing his death at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, were removed after a MP-led review of parliamentary art linked to slavery and racism.
It follows a cross-party review seeking to “modernise” Westminster by improving the representation of ethnic minorities and women in artwork.
The Black Lives Matter-inspired diversity review began in 2020 when the Parliamentary Art Collection was subjected to an audit for “links to slavery and racism” in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests.
Overseen by the Speaker’s Advisory Committee on Works of Art, it has resulted in the removal of Nelson as well as Spanish Armada-battling Sir Francis Drake and ex-Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell are also gone.
While images of historic British figures have been removed, portraits of Labour figures including Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary, have been installed.
A portrait of Baroness Hoey, a former Labour minister, has also been put on display.
Speaking last year Ms Cooper said: “Westminster is a changing place, with more women MPs, people from ethnic minorities and people with disabilities.
“It would be great to see this change increasingly represented in the artwork around the estate, providing encouragement and inspiration for future generations of politicians.”
A Parliament spokesman said there are “regular movements” to the 26,000 items in its collection “due to maintenance, changes to the occupancy of offices and conservation needs”.
Four portraits of Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland, have been taken down since 2020. Images of former prime ministers William Pitt the Elder and George Canning have also been removed.
Despite the aim of increasing the representation of women in Parliament, four images of Elizabeth I have been removed including ones marking the defeat of the Spanish Armada, as well as a print of anti-slavery leader William Wilberforce.
