Margaret Thatcher excluded from National Portrait Gallery mural to great British women

As part of its relaunch this year, the National Portrait Gallery has attempted to redress its gender imbalance by commissioning a seven-panel mural featuring 133 of the greatest women from British history. Unveiled yesterday, the mural features a range of famous figures including Maureen Colquhoun, the first openly lesbian MP, Diane Abbott, Britain’s first black female MP and suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst.

But one omission has raised eyebrows. Margaret Thatcher, Britain’s first woman prime minister, is nowhere to be seen. Conservative MP Andrea Jenkyns says the mural “fails to capture one of our nation’s most successful daughters,” adding “great British women come from every background, political party and corner of our country.”

A gallery spokesperson says a blank silhouette in the top-right of the seventh mural panel allows visitors to “add their own choices to the work.” The gallery notes that it already features portraits of Thatcher. However, a number of the 133 women featured also hang in the gallery already.

Starter for 10? Your next side hustle

Consider yourself a keen quizzer? University Challenge is on the hunt for question writers for the next series, to be hosted by Amol Rajan. The job description asks applicants to have “a clear, distinctive ‘voice’ demonstrating imagination and originality”. That’s not to say it’s a vacancy for any pub quizzer. Candidates should be university graduates. Boffins, apply within.

Tory MP speaks up about deselection

After being deselected by her local Tory party, Theo Clarke urged more women to enter politics this week. “We need more women to stand for public office,” she said on International Women’s Day. Clarke was kicked out activists in Stafford a week after returning from maternity leave. She says she has been subjected to abuse since she announced she was pregnant last year.

Old Etonians ponder the future

With Lord Waldegrave stepping down as Eton’s provost, Old Etonians are pondering the fate of current head Simon Henderson, who has praised Waldegrave as “outstanding”. No wonder: the provost backed him in school rows such as the sacking of a teacher who questioned “feminist orthodoxy”.

Last night in town

Londoner’s Diary 10th March 2023

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe attended the Harper’s Bazaar International Women’s Day celebration last night, a year since she was released from an Iranian prison. Bafta winner Aimee Lou Wood also joined the party. Lulu Kennedy enjoyed Ferragamo’s spring/summer launch and Isabel Mayfair hosted Royal Ballet dancer Eric Underwood and Netflix actor Georgie Farmer at the launch of Kendall Jenner’s tequila brand, 818.

The BFI hosted a notable directorial debut last night. Jersualem Syndrome is the first film from Mabel Evans, founder of the Vavengers charity which fights to end female genital mutilation. The film takes it title from a mental phenomenon experienced by some visitors to Jerusalem, and Bella Yentob stars as a woman who has experienced the syndrome. Guests included Bella’s father, filmmaker Alan Yentob, along with literary agent Caroline Michel, musician Isabella Summers, poet James Massiah and comedian Heydon Prowse.