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Gladstone’s portrait could carry slavery plaque in Parliament review

A portrait of Sir Robert Peel belonging to the Parliamentary art collection
A portrait of Sir Robert Peel belonging to the Parliamentary art collection

Portraits of former prime ministers could soon be accompanied by plaques making clear their links to the slave trade after Parliament on Wednesday launched an audit of its art collection in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement.

Parliament will for the first time undertake a “systematic review” of its entire collection in order to address the chequered histories of some of its most distinguished members.

The review, which will be led by a cross-party group of MPs who advise the Speaker, will also assess whether greater prominence should be given to BAME figures and those who helped to abolish the slave trade in 1807.

Initial research has already identified 232 out of 9,500 works of art which have links to the transatlantic slave trade, including 189 which depict 24 people who either had ties to slavery or profited from it.

Among those listed as having “financial or family interests in the slave trade” are Tory prime ministers Robert Peel, who served two terms between 1834-35 and 1841-1846, Lord Liverpool, who served from 1812-1827, and the Liberal William Gladstone, who served as prime minister for 12 years over four terms between 1868 and 1894.

The inclusion of all three is likely to stir debate among historians. Peel, although the son of a cotton trader, campaigned for the abolition of slavery, while both Lord Liverpool and Gladstone’s views evolved over time.

A portait of William Gladstone
A portait of William Gladstone

It comes after this newspaper revealed earlier this month that Parliamentary staff were being encouraged to profess their “privilege” on an online confessional platform set up following Black Lives Matter protests.

On Wednesday night Hywel Willliams MP, the chairman of the Speaker’s Advisory Committee, told The Daily Telegraph the review was not about “tearing things down” but providing greater context on the “controversial” and “unacceptable” aspects of their lives.

He added that while several hundred portraits of people linked to the slave trade had been removed from the Palace of Westminster over several years, there was a need to maintain a collection that was “historical and documentative.”

This newspaper understands that the committee will consider whether plaques or labels could be erected next to prominently displayed portraits to explain their role in slavery or abolition.

Other proposals include updating information provided to tourists by Parliamentary guides, as well as audio guides, leaflets and creating new websites with detailed biographies of the figures depicted in artworks.

However, the move is likely to divide opinion among Conservative MPs, several of whom criticised attempts by BLM activists to take down statues of notable British figures, among them slave owners.

Following the vandalising of Winston Churchill’s statue in June, Boris Johnson also hit out attempts to tear down statues, warning that “we cannot try to edit or censor our past” or “pretend to have a different history”.

According to a document produced by Parliament, the portraits listed include figures who were either personally or through their families “directly involved in, and profited from, the forced Labour of enslaved peoples.”

It adds: “Today this is recognised as abhorrent. The intention of the Parliamentary Art Collection is not to venerate people who have supported and committed acts of atrocity, but to truthfully reflect the history of Parliament, our democracy and the people who played a part in it.”

In contrast, there are just 40 pieces depicting abolitionists, among them William Wilberforce, a leading member of the campaign against the slave trade in Parliament.

Others include Lord Mansfield, the Lord Chief Justice whose 1783 ruling on the Zong massacre - the mass murder of 130 slaves thrown from a slave ship -  is widely seen as a defining moment in the history of British abolitionism.

The collection also includes a sculpture of Olaudah Equiano, the black writer famed for his memoir detailing his escape from slavery as a child before becoming a freedman in London, where he emerged as a prominent campaigner against slavery.

A sculpture of Olaudah Equiano
A sculpture of Olaudah Equiano

Parliamentary officials pointed out that in Portcullis House, a modern extension of the estate opened in 2001, a number of artworks were accompanied by explainers providing information on the figures depicted.

"The interpretation of our artworks is reviewed constantly, but this is the first time we are systematically reviewing the entire collection looking at issues around slavery and representation,” Mr Williamson said.

"We will look at ways to better explain and contextualise works in the collection through our website and in the material we give to visitors to parliament.

"And we will look for ways to better shine a light on the people in parliament who worked hard to abolish slavery."