DAME Priti Patel has said Sir Keir Starmer can replace a portrait of Margaret Thatcher in the study at No10 with a picture of “me”.
The MP for Witham launched her Conservative leadership campaign in London today promising to get the party “back to winning ways”.
And at the end of her speech she addressed reports that Sir Keir had an “unsettling” portrait of Thatcher removed from the study at No10.
Dame Priti pointed to an image of herself and declared: “If Keir Starmer wants a portrait to replace Margaret Thatcher he can always have this one.”
The PM asked for it to be taken down soon after moving in, according to his biographer.
Tom Baldwin said he asked Sir Keir if he would “get rid of it” as they sat together in what is unofficially known as the Thatcher Room.
He said the PM then nodded, agreeing with Baldwin that the likeness was “a bit unsettling with her staring down”.
The portrait, painted by royal artist Richard Stone, was commissioned by Gordon Brown and unveiled to the Iron Lady at a reception in 2009.
In a speech on Friday, Dame Priti also said: “The Conservative and Unionist Party is the greatest political party in the world, and I’m proud to stand here today for its leadership.
“Under my leadership, I will bring our party experience and strength, and I will get us back to winning ways.”
She added: “I have heard loud and clear what the British people have had to say, and while we will reflect and learn on the lessons, under my leadership our party will be firmly focused on the future.
“So today, eight weeks on, our attitude will change, and we will draw a line in the sand because it’s time to move on and move forward.
“I’m an optimist with clear goals, and I will revive our party so that we can provide the leadership that our great country needs, because conservativism has not failed.
“Our values and our principles remain as true as ever, and they are still shared by the majority of the public.”
She also denounced Sir Keir’s No10 speech earlier this week as “one of the most feeble, pitiful and dishonest speeches you will ever hear”.
Dame Priti continued: “He was feeble in his claim to say that he was tough with the trade unions in pay negotiations.
“That was after he immediately rolled over to appease his paymasters at the expense of the British taxpayer.
“He was pitiful to claim that he is locking up criminals after spending years in Parliament voting against tougher prison sentences for violent criminals and sex offenders, and campaigning to block the deportation of dangerous foreign national offenders.
“He was completely dishonest with his complaints and his claims about the British economy that he has inherited, which were clearly made to justify his nasty financial assault on the very people who deserve dignity in their retirement.”
She added: “All we have seen over the last 56 days is a Labour Government of self-service, politics without principle.”
