Political artwork has rather dominated the headlines of late. After Sir Keir’s peculiar opposition to the ‘unsettling’ painting of his predecessor Margaret Thatcher, Mr S has been interested in learning more about what artwork is deemed acceptable to the Labour lot. Via a Freedom of Information request, Steerpike can now reveal which Parliamentary Art Collection works adorn the walls of Britain’s top politicians.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Starmer is surrounded by the portraits of his prime ministerial predecessors – including Winston Churchill, Pitt the Younger, Robert Peel and Benjamin Disraeli. Curiously, no former female PMs make the cut – with the Iron Lady already having been moved from the No. 10 study to Downing Street’s first-floor meeting room. Meanwhile the office of Sir Keir’s deputy, Angela Rayner, has a more architectural focus featuring four prints of Westminster alongside a portrait of Sir Edward Croke – considered by many the most impressive jurist of his time. It’s perhaps a fitting reminder of Rayner’s recent run-ins with the law…
While most cabinet ministers have their offices covered with pictures of parliament, there are some rather abstract gems too. Chief Secretary to the Treasury Darren Jones has a 19th-century depiction of, er, sheep shearing by his desk, while Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has a rather extraordinary design printed on a silk handkerchief. It’s titled ‘The Reformers’ Attack on the Old Rotten Tree – or the Foul Nests of the Cormorants in Danger’, in criticism of an old system of ‘rotten boroughs’ where influential patrons often had the final say over MP selections. The phrase ‘Starmtroopers’ comes to mind…
Despite the ever-present animosity between political opponents, Steerpike would note that Labour’s David Lammy and shadow Northern Ireland secretary Alex Burghart do in fact have something in common: a shared appreciation for prints of the UK’s first foreign secretary, Charles James Fox. Otherwise, Mr S can report, the walls of shadow cabinet offices are rather underwhelming. Only four rooms have any artwork from the Parliamentary Art Collection, and the ones that do tend to contain a mix of Westminster-based etchings. Deviating from this rule, however, is Chris Philp’s study. The office of the shadow Commons leader has artwork of Worcestershire, Cambridge and even Paris adorning his walls – a nice distraction for when the world of Whitehall gets too much. It’s certainly more exciting than the offices of ex-PM Rishi Sunak, former chancellor Jeremy Hunt and shadow home secretary James Cleverly – which have all been cursed with blank walls. A reflection of the uninspiring state of the Tory party at present, perhaps…
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